Blog posts : "News"

The whole story with the deal between Sky and BBC (Update)

Both BSkyB (British Sky Broadcasting) and the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) have made a deal to show the coverage of Formula 1. The basics of the deal are for BSkyB to show all of the Races, Qualifying and Practice, and BBC to only show some race weekends. This was announced on Friday morning  before FP1 for Hungary, and has caused many complaints from fans, F1 teams, and even the BBC main commentator Martin Brundle.

The lead commentator said “"I only heard the news last night, and I'm out of contract the end of the year. I will work through my options. Not impressed." (Via @F1Lite) And im sure Burndle isn’t the only person who isn’t happy with this deal. McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh has voiced his concerns with the deal as he says it may breach the Concorde agreement that everyone signed in 2009.

 The agreement clearly states that the BBC will be the sole broadcaster for the F1 coverage. Later on today the formula 1 team’s will be meeting up with Bernie Ecclestone and will discuss this subject in depth, as Both Team Lotus and McLaren have concerns with this deal. The teams will discuss the fact that F1 would nhlaf the time not be on Free-to-air television. They will also discuss the impact that this could have on the show (ratings etc.)If this deal does go ahead, it will mean that half of the F1 calendar next year will not be on free-to-air TV, and F1 fans will need to pay just to watch it. BSkyB have said they will not show advertisement during the sessions which means viewers will be able to see the sessions in their entirety.

Although the BBC will not be showing all of the races live, they will continue to show the highlights on every round, and their Radio 5 Live team will continue to commentate on the radio.

In an interview, Martin Whitmarsh said “As I understand BBC are covering half the Grand Prix, and Sky are doing every practice session and everything else. It's interesting; I don't think anyone should be immediately reacting to say this is good, bad, or indifferent. What we need to understand is whether the large audience we currently enjoy in Formula 1 will be maintained. I think we also need to understand exactly how this is being done.” (Via Autosport)

Also, Barbara Slater, The director of BBC Sport has said: "We are absolutely delighted that F1 will remain on the BBC. The sport has never been more popular with TV audiences at a 10-year high and the BBC has always stated its commitment to the big national sporting moments. With this new deal not only have we delivered significant savings but we have also ensured that through our live and extended highlights coverage all the action continues to be available to licence-fee payers."

 Update After the meeting with the teams, Bernie announced "The deal with BSkyB and the BBC is not complicated by issues surrounding the current concorde agreement because the covenant comes to an end prior to the beginning of the BSkyB contract".

 

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My website is back!

I have re-started my website! i will update regularly

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Hamilton: "I could win"

2008 F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton is optimistic that he will still have a very good chance to challenge the Red Bulls for a win in tomorrow's European (Valencia) Grand Prix despite Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber being on the front row after their blinding laps, and Valencia having a reputation as a track where passing is difficult.

The McLaren driver was 0.4 seconds off pole sitter Sebastian Vettel's time as he qualified third today, but hopes that he can move forward if the race is as eventful as many Grand prix have been this year. When asked if he could race with Red Bull, Hamilton said: "That is always the question, but we are as close as we could be. This is a track notorious for being difficult to overtake on.

"We will see what happens, there will be more pit stops here than we have had in the past. We have seen how other races unfolded [in 2011] so we could still have an exciting race."

Hamilton added that he was pleasantly surprised to get as high as third, having struggled to get this weekend's Pirelli tyres working for him so far this weekend.

"I wasn't expecting to be so high up," he said. "After practice three we were struggling a little bit to switch the tyres on.

"The guys did a great job to analyse the data into qualifying. My lap wasn't too bad, I tried to improve on last lap - always trying to get a bit more - but I got a bit greedy, and bailed out on last lap to try and save tyres for the race."

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Mosley says "no to Bahrain!"

Former FIA President Max Mosley has taken the same stance as Red Bull driver Mark Webber and the rest of the world (Other than the stupid FIA) over the restored Bahrain Grand Prix, claiming the decision to set a new date for the event is a ‘ Big mistake’. A vote at the World Motor Sport Council gathering on Friday resulted in the race being rescheduled for October 30, but Mosley believes the outcome could be costly for the sport. 

"Sporting bodies also have to overlook human rights violations in places where events are held and even in some member countries of the federations themselves," Mosley said in a column for the Daily Telegraph.  

"There are several reasons for this. First, to apply the highest standards of human rights you would have to exclude a very large number of countries from international sport, including at least one close ally of the United Kingdom. 

"Secondly, if you were to apply anything less than the highest standards, you would be faced with endless debate about where to draw the line. Third, it is not the function of a sporting body to seek to dictate to governments what they can and cannot do. Politics should be left to the politicians. 

"Why is this different to running an event in any number of countries where people are oppressed, kept in poverty, held without trial and mistreated (or worse) in prison? Surely the line has to be drawn when a sporting event is not mere entertainment in a less-than-perfect country, but is being used by an oppressive regime to camouflage its actions." 

Mosley also said the FIA's choice will last in the memories of many people after the violence seen within the country earlier in the year, claiming that it could be very costly for the sport.

"If a sport accepts this role, it becomes a tool of government. If Formula 1 allows itself to be used in this way in Bahrain, it will share the regime's guilt as surely as if it went out and helped brutalise unarmed protesters. The decision to hold the race is a mistake which will not be forgotten and, if not reversed, will eventually cost Formula 1 dear."

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Renault says it has been given clearance to wear its......

Renault says it has been given clearance to wear its current livery in the Canadian Grand Prix next weekend by the Quebec authorities after discussion whether it complied with the region's anti-tobacco law.

As part of Renault's title sponsorship deal with Group Lotus, the team carries a gold and black livery inspired by the original Lotus Formula 1 team - when it was backed by cigarette brand John Player Special. Even though John Player Special does not appear anywhere on the 2011 Renault F1 car, there were concerns that the colour scheme still carried implicit tobacco overtones and was under investigation. Team boss Eric Boullier said the Quebec officials had accepted that the 2011 livery had no tobacco connection.

"We're delighted to be able to race in Montreal in our usual colour scheme," he said. "The Quebec authorities noted that the current livery makes a reference to images from the 1980s when the car was sponsored by the tobacco industry, but it has also accepted the fact that Lotus Renault GP receives no direct or indirect financing from the industry in question. We would like to thank them for acknowledging our good faith.We are fully aware of the stringent restrictions imposed by the law in Quebec on promotional associations with tobacco. As a result, we will use all means available to dispel any misconceptions that our identity and that of our partners is somehow associated with this industry." (Via Autosport)

But a Renault statement left the door open to livery adjustments for next season's Montreal race.

"However, the team has agreed to work with the Quebec authorities on a more noticeable way to keep complying with the local legislation in 2012," it said (Via Autosport)

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A record 21 races coming up!

Today the provisional 2012 FIA Formula 1 Race Calender was realeased. It shows that the fourthcoming 2012 F1 season will see a record breaking 21 races. The Calender that has been released shows that Bahrain will kick off the season on the 11th of March, and will end on the 25th of November. The new US GP will be unveiled at the 17th of June (Im sure it will be pretty warm then). The 4 week Summer break will be held between the German GP (5th of August) and the Belgium GP (2nd of September). The Calender is below :-

The Provisional 2012 Race Calender

BAHRAIN - 11 March

AUSTRALIA - 18 March

MALAYSIA - 1 April

CHINA - 8 April

SOUTH KOREA* - 22 April

TURKEY* - 6 May

SPAIN - 20 May

MONACO - 27 May

CANADA - 10 June

UNITED STATES* - 17 June

VALENCIA, SPAIN - 1 July

BRITAIN - 15 July

GERMANY - 29 July

HUNGARY - 5 August

BELGIUM - 2 September

ITALY - 9 September

SINGAPORE - 30 September

JAPAN - 14 October

INDIA - 28 October

ABU DHABI - 11 November

BRAZIL - 25 November

* Subject to confirmation

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My Website Is Now Back

As some of you may have noticed my website has not beenm updated for some time, this is due to different reasons....but all that matters is that i have fixed the issues and it is back!

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Todt: In-season testing shall return....

FIA Boss Jean Todt has announced that he thinks the ban on complete in-season testing has been a failure. Therefore he has announced that he will ask the teams to agree to a rule which allows limited in-season testing. So The Formula 1 teams will be asked to support the move from the FIA president. He has arranged a proposal to allow three lots of two-day testing for discussion at the next meeting of the Formula 1 Commission, which will take place in Valencia (At the European GP) on June 23, with the hope that it will be ratified for introduction in 2012.However, If teams are not in favour of the change in regulations, then Todt has indicated that he will force it through for 2013 instead. Todt told AutoSport Magazine: - "For me, it is a stupid decision to have no testing during the season," Todt said during a media briefing in Turkey on Sunday morning. In the past it was crazy to have unlimited testing during the year, but to go from unlimited to completely banned, it is not the right measure. It doesn't allow young drivers to test, it doesn't give the opportunity for young drivers to learn some experience in F1, and I will make sure that this situation will change for the future. It cannot come back to free testing, but teams now have simulation facilities in the factory, so we are not talking about [a testing ban] being a cost-saving for the big teams. So we will push for a few days of free testing during the season as soon as possible but by respecting the rules."

When asked when he thought that was likely to be: "I would have loved to have done it in 2011, but we could not impose it as there was no reason to impose it on safety grounds. So, it will be in 2012 if we get enough [support]. It is something that we are going to present at the next Formula 1 Commission which will be on the Thursday in Valencia, and if not then, we can implement it in 2013 without any agreement. At the latest it will be 2013, but hopefully people will accept a few days testing during the season from next year on."

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Bernie Says Formula One Will Not Be....

F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclstone has announced that Formula One will not be sold to Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. He says such a move could face regulatory hurdles and breach F1's own Concorde Agreement with the teams. "I know Rupert and [News Corp international boss] James Murdoch and Carlos Slim, and if they wanted to do anything they would contact me direct. And they haven't," he told the BBC. F1 is owned by the private equity firm CVC Partners, which paid about $1.7bn for the business in 2005. Any takeover would involve changes to the Concorde Agreement, a commercial arrangement involving the racing teams, CVC and the sport's governing body, the FIA. This agreement says that the sport should be shown on free-to-air television where possible. However, the current agreement runs out at the end of 2012, and the signatories are in the process of negotiating a new one. Ecclestone, who runs F1 on behalf of CVC, told the Times on Wednesday that selling the business to News Corp would complicate F1's freedom to negotiate rights to screen the sport. "We would not sell to a media company because it would restrict the ability to negotiate with other broadcasters," he said.News Corp, which owns 39% of broadcaster BSkyB and is trying to buy the rest of the company, could face regulatory hurdles if it took on broadcasting rights.In 1998, News Corp tried to buy the Manchester United football team but was blocked by the Competition Commission because of Sky's dominance in broadcasting the sport

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Ferrari have announced...

Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo has told Ferrari to act "quickly" to improve the pace of the Ferrari 150°. The team are yet to earn a podium finish, and are currently 3rd in the Constructors table, 55 points behind the dominant Red Bull team. Montezemolo said "this can not and must not be the level of our team. It’s a very delicate moment, and I expect the team to act quickly. I expect the engineers to be determined and use their years of experience to improve the car into a race and championship winning car. Although there is not much time, I have faith in the team, and i expect them to improve the car dramatically"

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Pirelli's tyre choices for the next 3 races..

Formula 1 tyre manufacturer Pirelli has announced the compounds which will be made available to the teams and drivers during the upcoming Turkish, Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix. The Hard and Soft tyre are to be used at Istanbul Park and the Circuit de Catalunya, while the Soft and Super Soft will be taken to the streets of Monte-Carlo. Pirelli Motorsport Director Paul Hembery explained the reasons behind Pirelli's latest choices: "We’ve considered carefully all the circuit characteristics in order to help provide races as exciting as all the Grands Prix we have seen so far this year." These are Pirelli’s tyre chices:-
 
Turkish Grand Prix:
Prime: Hard
Option: Soft 

Spanish Grand Prix:
Prime: Hard
Option: Soft 

Monaco Grand Prix:
Prime: Soft
Option: Super Soft

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2009 World Champion Jenson Button has announced.....

2009 World Champion Jenson Button has announced that he is ready to fight for the title this season. He says he is very optimistic that he can do well this season and he says he believes that he has a very good chance to win the title. After an amazing 2nd place in Malaysia this weekend, Button is now 2nd in the Championship, and he says he is aiming for the top. He said it was “very important” for him to get the 2nd place this weekend, as it now gives him the confidence to carry on with the good result. He also said “the team has made a massive improvement to the car, and I am very pleased at the way it performs. The pace on it at times was amazing, and I can’t wait to see what else they add to the car”

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Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have both .....

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have both been given 20-second time penalties after a collision in today’s Malaysian race. This means Hamilton goes from 7th to 8th and Alonso stays 6th. Hamilton gained this penalty for making more than one defending move, and Alonso’s penalty was for causing the collision in the first place. The collision occurred when Alonso was trying to pass Hamilton on turn 3, but hit the back of the McLaren which broke his front wing.

Video showing the incedent - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch9FvOmVgXI

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McLaren are expecting their rivals to be fast!

McLaren have announced that they expect more of a chalenge in Malaysia as they say they expect their rivals of Ferrari and Mercedes to be quicker! The Ferraris finished 4th and 7th last weekend as both Mercedes failed to finish. "I am absolutely sure both those teams have more to bring," said McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale to the BBC."We watched each other carefully though winter testing and we are not imagining that we have seen the best of Ferrari or the best of Mercedes at this stage.Once we get to a circuit like Malaysia with much hotter track temperatures, we test the cars more fully."

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Vettel "Malaysia will show us who is really the..."

The current F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel has announced that he thinks the Malaysian track will give everyone a much better representation of the current pecking order. With the Malaysian GP just a week away he told reporters "Malaysia is the first real track we go to, as Australia is a semi-street circuit, It’s hot and rains everyday, but the question is when and how much? It will be a tricky one. Circuit-wise you’ve got everything in there: Turn 14 requires you to brake the car while you’re still turning into the corner, which makes it quite challenging. So, Malaysia will show us who is really the fastest" Vettel is currently leading the Championship after winning the Australian GP, and says he is looking forward to the rest of the 2011 season.

 

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McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh has announced...

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh has announced that people shouldnt be so optomistic about McLarens pace just yet. Lewis Hamilton finished second behin Sebastian Vettel after winter in which they struggled for pace and reliability. Whitmarsh said to the BBC: "We don't think Melbourne's Albert Park showed us the best of our competitors' pace. That makes us more motivated to bring as much to the table as possible." McLaren had a disappointing winter and they turned up in Australia with a revamped car in which had a simplified exhaust system and a new floor. Hamilton finished nearly 22 seconds behind Vettel in the race, with his McLaren team-mate Jenson Butto finishing in sixth - though that was partly down to a drive-through penalty. After the race, Hamilton insisted he was "back in the fight".

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McLaren say they're updates may make the car a whole second quicker!

McLaren have announced that their updates for Melbourne may bring a whole second to the pace of the car. They say “The changes are intended to deliver more than one second in performance,We hope the risks we have taken pay off and that we’re competitive." However, it is not known whether the MP4-26 will run all of their updates in Australia, due to the lack of development. Also it is not yet known if the updates will work, as the British based teams have not tested the the updates on the track. Whitmarsh says “The exhaust systems have become quite a lot more extreme on a lot of the cars, I think we in particular had very extreme solutions but, in my opinion, they weren’t delivering sufficient benefits for their complexities.” He summed up that more should be expected of McLaren’s exhausts: “The car isn't a bad car, I just think we need to unlock the exhaust-blowing potential.

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McLaren say they could be competetive?

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh has said that the MP4-26 may be competetive!! It cant be Martin, he told BBC "Do I think we head into the weekend as favourites? No, But do I feel that we have the capacity to surprise people and be competitive? Very much so." Now this has come as a shock to many people, as McLaren promissed in testing that they were NOT sand bagging (going slow on purpos) during testing. Its seems like they may have been lieing a bit there. The McLaren MP4-26 has been disappointing during testing this year, and the team being left 11th on total mileage completed by all the F1 teams' new cars -  just infront of Hispania Racing's challenger, which will not run until practice in Australia. Whitmarsh said: "Over the winter, we set ourselves some extremely ambitious performance targets for MP4-26. We are an uncompromising team and, as with every car we build, we tend to push development to the limit. In some cases, we've pushed over those limits, and the resulting lack of mileage has invariably eaten into our pre-season preparation."

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Todt wants bigger, bigger numbers that is....

FIA Boss Jean Todt has announced he is looking into the idea of giving drivers preset number that will follow them thought their career. This would mean no matter where a driver finishes in the Championship, he will keep his number, however big or small that number is. He has taken this idea from NASCAR, and he really believes in it. He says this should help fans remember what driver is what, he says although major F1 fans can remember who is who by the colour of their cockpit camera, of by their helmet, but he says it is harder for casual F1 viewers to recognise the driver. I completely agree with this idea, and it would genuinely improve F1 to the fans.

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Vettel with Red Bull till 2014

The 2010 F1 Seasnon World Champion has announced that he will commit himself to Red Bull until the 2014 season. This means he has lengthend his contract with the British based team by 2 years! "Sebastian feels very comfortable within the team and the team feels very comfortable with him," team boss Christian Horner told BBC. Vettel is not the only member of the team, head designer, and arguably the best engineer on the grid  Adrian Newey also signed with the team until 2014. "Hopefully Red Bull will be the last team he works for in Formula One," said Horner to the BBC. It has been rumourd that Mercedes and Ferrari were interested in Vettel, and Horner says he is glad to be entering the season without the speculation.

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