Will you still watch F1 without the big teams?

FORMULA One has been thrown into chaos after the Formula One Teams Association (Fota) carried out its threat to set up a rival championship in 2010, reported BBC today (read story here).

Fota had been against the voluntary budget cap proposed by world motorsport boss Max Mosley, which would have resulted in a two-tiered competition, and had been in negotiations with FIA and F1 rights owner Bernie Eccelstone recently over the issue.

Negotiations have now broken down and eight teams – Brawn GP, Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, Toyota, BMW Sauber, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso – have indicated that they will set up a rival championship next year instead of participating in the 2010 F1 season.

With some of the more illustruous names now out of F1, would you still watch the championships, of which one race is held in Singapore?

Would you still watch a Ferrari-less Formula One?

THE pinnacle of motorsports is in real danger of losing one of its crown jewels, as Ferrari had their appeal against FIA’s proposed optional £40m budget cap thrown out by a French court in Paris yesterday. (Read BBC story here)

FIA president Max Mosley had argued for the optional cap to be in place to stem the spiralling costs of the sport that is also deterring potential new teams from joining the ranks of Ferrari and McLaren.

Teams that adhere to the budget cap would have more technical freedom to modify their cars, which could in turn prove decisive on the tracks.

Ferrari, along with Renault, Red Bull and Toyota, have threatened to quit F1 if the budget cap comes through, but the new rule could attract the likes of “Wirth Research, Lola, USF1, Epsilon Euskadi, RML, Formtech, Campos and iSport”, according to a statement by the Italian team.

The thing is – would you rather watch a Formula One race without Ferrari – one of the sport’s traditional powerhouses – or prefer a possibly more unpredictable race season, with ‘poorer’ teams be able to match up to the likes of McLaren and Ferrari due to the technical freedom that comes with the budget cap?

What will Dennis’ departure do for Hamilton?

Former McLaren team principal Ron Dennis has left the Formula One team entirely yesterday night Singapore time, ending his 28-year association with the team (Read BBC story here).

The 61-year-old is widely credited for carefully nurturing current world champion Lewis Hamilton into the driver that he is today, and the two share a close relationship as a result.

The departure of his long-time mentor will no doubt have an impact on Hamilton, who has already faced widespread criticism over his “Liargate” scandal, as well as tremendous pressure in retaining his crown with an inferior car this season.

The question is, how would this latest turn of events affect the young driver?

Question of the Week (Lewis Hamilton’s “Lie-gate” Scandal)

HI all,

THE POSTMAN’S QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Should Lewis Hamilton be suspended from Formula One this year for his own part in McLaren’s recent “Lie-gate” scandal?

Cheers,

Ernest Luis, The Postman, The New Paper

 

How will the new F1 season pan out?

Will the likes of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello be able to sustain the form? (Picture: AP)

IF YOU missed the season-starting Melbourne Grand Prix yesterday afternoon, you would have missed out on a highly entertaining race.

Not only did the Brawn team make a fairytale ending by becoming the first team to have a 1-2 finish on its debut since 1954, the race also saw defending champion Lewis Hamilton battle his way from 18th on the grid to third, after Jarno Trulli was penalised for overtaking Hamilton when the safety car is out.

From the testing stages right up to the chequered flag in Melbourne, F1’s Big Four – Ferrari, McLaren, BMW Sauber and Renault – have struggled against the likes of Brawn, Toyota, and Williams, the latter group of which have used a controversial diffuser.

And while appeals have been launched against the use of the diffuser, The New Paper’s F1 analyst Luke Netto fully expects the Big Four to start developing their own versions of the component as well (read his full story in today’s edition of The New Paper).

Will the Big Four recover from the lag time in designing and building the diffuser, as well as modifying their chassis, to reclaim their dominance in the championship?

Or will the likes of Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel and Timo Glock be able to build on this early season momemtum to challenge for both the drivers’ and constructors’ championship come November?

Question of the Weekend (F1’s new season)

Hi all,

THE POSTMAN’S QUESTION OF THE WEEKEND: AFTER the first Formula One race of the new season kicks off in Australia on Sunday, give us your view on how you think the title race will turn out.

Cheers,

Ernest Luis, The Postman, The New Paper

 

£30m budget cap boon or bane for Formula One?

A budget cap could see more drivers challenging Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa for the drivers’ title. (Picture: AFP)

FIA president Max Mosley has created a stir by proposing a £30m budget cap per Formula One team in a bid to help the sport survive what is now termed the worst recession since the Great Depression.

In this proposal, teams that adhere to this budget cap will have the freedom to design their cars without any technical restrictions, while teams that spend beyond that limit will continue to be abide by the restrictions.

“The cars will be much less refined in detail, because teams will not be able to spend huge sums on minute advantages — for example, £850 on a wheel nut which is only used once — but from the grandstand or on television they won’t look or sound any less ‘Formula One’ than the current, ultra-expensive cars,” said Mosley.

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG SAYS: Which would you rather have: a couple of perfectly designed but ultra-expensive cars dominating the series – like what Ferrari and McLaren are doing now; or cars that are somewhat raw around the edges, but have a similar chance of finishing on the podium, barring the skill of the driver?

Remote controlled Grand Prix car?

LOOKS amazing at first sight doesn’t it – a Formula One car that can be remotely controlled by a handheld device that uses a gyroscopic mechanism (i.e. Apple’s iPhone).

But as astounding as it might seem, McLaren has later admitted that the video is a result of some very clever camera angling and editing, according to this Times article, where I first saw the video.

And since the technology to remotely control F1 cars has been around for quite a number of years, perhaps the more astounding thing is how people can find time to construct an elaborate circuit in the office!

Can Danica Patrick help boost the troubled Formula One?

USF1, Formula One’s newest team, is looking at the possibility of recruiting Indycar driver Danica Patrick for the 2010 season, according to various reports.

The competition has been badly hit by the global financial meltdown, which has resulted in Honda pulling out of F1, new rules that are designed to cut costs among the teams, as well as the recent news of ING not renewing its sponsorship of the Renault team at the end of this season.

Formula One has injected some excitement back to its fans in recent years with some novel experiments, including last year’s inaugural night race here in Singapore.

With people all around the world tightening their purse-strings in anticipation for more bad times ahead, the series would need something more to entice fans to fork out money to watch the races, where tickets have traditionally been costly.

And a classic battle between the sexes may just generate enough buzz to save the sport from going further south.

After all, Patrick is not just a pretty face (she famously posed in a swimsuit for the cover of Sports Illustrated, as well as men’s magazine FHM). The 26-year-old became the first woman to win an Indy car race last year in Japan, three years after turning professional.

The Making of F1 Infographics 2008

The Singapore F1 night race is finally over. Over the past few days, The New Paper has been publishing some infographics as coverage for the event. I’ve done a short write up on my blog on the making of this particular F1 infographics we’ve published. Check it out.

Cheers,
Teoh Yi Chie