A selection of highlights from F1 blogs and news sites including speculation on Kimi Raikkonen retiring at the end of the year.
Plus the latest on the new Valencia and Singapore street tracks, Lewis Hamilton samples a hard-tuned Porsche. and Niki Lauda appears on a chat show with a difference.
Kimi Raikkonen to retire this year – There has been speculation for some time that Kimi Raikkonen would not stay at Ferrari if he won a second world championship this year. Following the claims that Fernando Alonso has signed for Ferrari for 2009 these rumours have returned.
Italian press go hard on Kimi Raikkonen – La Gazzetta della Sport wrote: “Raikkonen: slow and dizzy. In some races he is simply not there,” which is not the first time the Italian paper have criticised Ferrari’s world champion.
Good to be King: Lewis Hamilton borrows TechArt Porsche for LA Trip – McLaren’s engine suppliers Mercedes might not be too impressed to see him driving one of their number one rival’s products.
A reflection on test drivers – Should rookie drivers spend time as F1 testers before getting race seats?
Days of wonder: Pheonix getting rooked on the Grand Prix? – Bernie Ecclestone’s indifferent attitude to F1 in America hasn’t changed much in 18 years as this article on the problems faced by the organisers of the race at Pheonix shows.
Kidnap victim hosts talk show – Niki Lauda to be interviewed by former Austrian eight-year kidnap victim Natasha Kamputsch.
La Telemetria – A video that features Pedro de la Rosa explaining (in Spanish) McLaren’s telemetry with some insightful behind-the-scenes footage.
Whiting happy with Valencia street circuit – The Valencia street track gets approval from FIA safety inspector Charlie Whiting ahead of this year’s European Grand Prix.
The F1 world will watch Singapore – Mark Webber enthuses about the Singapore Grand Prix circuit.
Maybe winning is their next task – Christine has a healthy dose of scepticism about Honda’s ‘green’ benchmarking
The tales behind Neil Trundle – A chat with Neil Trundle, former cohort of Ron Dennis
Video: The five greatest Champ Car moments – Featuring ex-F1 drivers Nigel Mansell, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mark Blundell, Juan Pablo Montoya and more.
frecon
1st June 2008, 12:11
If you’re interested here you have a video of Pedro de la Rosa explaining differences between rear wings used in Monza (minimun downforce) and Monaco (maximum downforce).
http://www.telecinco.es/informativos/formula1/noticia/37458/El+aleron+del+MP24+de+McLaren
About the telemetries video: Lewis is the green line, and Pedro is the black line. The telemetry compares one lap in Barcelona track.
Evenstar Saima
1st June 2008, 13:05
Kimi retiring at the end of this season? Hahahahaha. He’ll finish his contract with Ferrari after 2009. Why would he retire this year? Couple of bad races and the speculations hit the roof.
Sush
1st June 2008, 15:58
RE; Honda “green” bits of paper
http://www.climatevision.gov/sectors/automobile/pdfs/workplan_3-3.pdf
BMW are implementing renewable energy sources to their factories, and aren’t shouting about it.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
1st June 2008, 16:18
That’s one of their car building plants isn’t it? It’s not their F1 site at Hinwii, I mean.
Sush
1st June 2008, 16:46
true, its the one in california, surely though in respect to how both business’ are operating. Kudos to BMW.
word on the grapevine is they are looking at installing geothermal energy into the plants though, i thinks its via a company called EuroFluids.
purely speculation i know, I haven’t got a link since it was a black cabbie that told me the info on friday.
Tom
1st June 2008, 23:26
Evenstar, I don’t think its so much to do with a couple of bad race, more general speculation for years that Kimi is not as ‘in love’ with F1 as other drivers are/were, e.g. Schumacher and once he has achieved the pinnacle might think ‘what’s the point in staying?’ – although I can’t remember where I read this stuff and may infact have fabricated it!
the limit
2nd June 2008, 0:22
At the moment, this is all speculation. We will not know Raikkonen’s fate until 2009, at which time his contract would have expired.
Alot, and awful lot, can happen in that time! It depends on the direction Ferrari want to take!
Fernando Alonso is the obvious choice, and the timing would be right for all concerned, but there are others.
If you look, over the last two years, how many new drivers have entered F1, and how many have departed.
This leaves Ferrari with many several options besides
Alonso.
My gut tells me that they will go with Alonso because he is a ‘proven’ investment in terms of speed and talent. Vettel is another person who springs to mind at the moment, but one has to feel that Fernando’s services are being wasted a little at the moment if Renault do not improve between now and next year.
DG
2nd June 2008, 8:59
Hmmm Old Charlie Whiting approves of the Valencia Street circuit? Who owns it, by the way?
I know I have said my piece(s) about Kimi, but I still think he is being pushed out of a permenant place at Ferrari by the Todt/Schuey/Massa camp – although I won’t speculate on why, until next year….
One thought for you to ponder – remember that Massa is managed by Jean Todt’s son
Journeyer
2nd June 2008, 10:08
But remember that Todt himself is slowly starting to get pushed out of Ferrari by the Italians, led by LDM. So I don’t think it’s Ferrari pushing Kimi out, it’s F1 and the way it works that’s pushing Kimi out because he doesn’t want to do it anymore.
DG
2nd June 2008, 10:28
@Journeyer – are you certain Todt has been pushed out? After all he now runs Ferrari Cars, probably without a day to day input on the Scuderia, but he will be party those higher management decisions which can decide the future of a racing team and it’s drivers….
Sush
2nd June 2008, 11:15
I don’t understand that Todt would be pushed out with Kimi
it wasn’t Todt that signed him, it was Montelelelezomoe, you know who I mean.
Gman
4th June 2008, 6:30
I think Kimi’s retirement rumours are very premature- even if he has had a few bad races, he’s still got plenty left in the tank, and I think he’s gunning for at least one more title. Still, whenever his retirement comes, the one thing we all do know is that it’s going to feature one heck of a party:)
Given how much sponsorship is involved at McLaren, it will be interesting to see if any public flap is made about Hamilton not tearing up California in a Merc. It’s great to hear that at least he and DC spent some time here in the States- it’s just a darn shame they won’t get to race here.