Lee Mckenzie interviews Sebastian Vettel following qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix in 2009.
The BBC had an F1 launch of a different kind on Thursday. The British broadcaster hosted a press launch to announce plans for its 2010 Formula 1 coverage and vowed to offer comprehensive coverage across TV, radio, online, red button and mobile.
The UK's F1 rights holder didn't make any significant changes to its 2009 lineup, nor offer any additional programming . However, they didn't reduce their commitment to covering Formula 1 either.
On television, anchorman Jake Humphrey will again be joined by Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard for pre and post race coverage. Martin Brundle and Jonathan Legard remain in the commentary box, while Lee McKenzie and Ted Kravitz continue to bring interviews and action from the pits.
Radio commentary will once more provided by David Croft standing alongside Anthony Davidson. Holly Samos will be found patrolling the paddock and the pitlane as usual. As in previous years, production will be handled by USP Content.
The BBC's Head of Formula 1 Ben Gallop said he was delighted with their efforts in 2009.
"The BBC Sport team will once again be bringing great coverage across all our platforms, meaning F1 fans can follow the action and interact wherever they are, whenever they want.
"We're proud to offer our audiences the opportunity to follow the great stories and share all the excitement of this fantastic sport."
Predictably there was no mention of High Definition F1 content appearing any time soon.
It can't possibly be Monday again, can it? It looks like it is. Apparently it is Winnie the Pooh day today, as well, which is good, although I have always preferred Piglet. Autosport International is all over, so we can return to regularly scheduled news, and here are some of the things we're talking about:
Talking of Autosport International, Franck was spotted on several occasions at the event. This time last year, we were there and I was hiding from him behind a pillar. For 2010, I get to watch all the videos that other people got for me. I've posted two on I Heart Franck here and here, and Pat also got some footage of FKM as well. Yum!
We promoted the brand new Sidepodcast Calendar recently, and I wrote a post explaining the ins and outs of it. This is just a quick update to say that the calendar now has it's very own page at sidepodcast.com/calendar. It's super duper easy to remember now, and it will be there forever!
Yesterday, we were talking about the concept of testing and how it's changing. In particular, we're starting to think it has less significance. Martin Brundle thinks different though, and Autosport have video on his views of the future of testing. The video is a funny shape though.
That should do it for now. I hope your Monday is going okay, and as ever, I'll see you in the comments.
Inspired by the recent Sidepodchat series from Steven Roy, guest writer Scott Woodwiss has delved into the history of a driver that he is passionate about.
German drivers in F1 were few and far between before the emergence of Schumacher. Once he started imposing his skills on the World Championship, more and more have managed to make their way to the top. Names which spring to mind include Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Nick Heidfeld, Nico Rosberg, Timo Glock and Adrian Sutil. The person I left out there is Sebastian Vettel. Why? Because the person we're talking about here is seen these days as the Vettel of his era. Sadly his life was cut short, and at a time where he never quite reached his peak. One man. One name. Bellof.
Stefan Bellof was born in Geiben, Germany on 20th September 1957. He seemed to catch the racing bug thanks to his father, who competed in rallies with a BMW. But unlike every other normal driver who makes it into motorsport these days, he didn't start his career so young. He started his first karting event at 16 but in the 7 years he raced them he won many championships including an International championship, 2 German and 2 European. Moving into Formula Ford in 1980 after finishing 2nd in a race at Hockenheim the year before, he formed a rivalry with fellow German Volker Weidler. I know him from winning the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours with Johnny Herbert and Bertrand Gachot for Mazda.
Bellof had a pretty decent success rate, winning 12 of the 28 FFord races he contested. After taking the title first time out in 1980, the rivalry between Bellof and Weidler came together in 1981. Stefan was seen as more relaxed with an easy-going personality, while Weidler was more of a man that kept to himself and was rather secretive. It all came to a head at the penultimate round of the 1981 season at the Siegerland airfield. Bellof won the race, but Volker protested that he'd jumped the start. After the protest was rejected initially, Weidler appealed the decision and had it overturned. The championship had to be decided at the final round at Zolder, where Bellof bumped his way past his rival at the last corner to make it 2 from 2.
For 1982 he was signed onto Willy Maurer's BMW Formula 2 team. In his first two races, he won. The first was in the wet at Silverstone and the next at Hockenheim where he took pole and set fastest lap. At this point already, Maurer could see potential, that this guy could go far in his racing career, and he promptly became his personal manager. The season didn't quite go as successfully but he took two more podiums and finished 4th.
That same year had seen him venture into a form of motorsport that in this aspect puts him closer to Schumacher. Bellof is known for his exploits in sportscar racing just as much, if not more than, his achievements in F1. He decided to run a double season in 1983 in F2 with Maurer once again and the World Sportscar Championship with the infamous Rothmans Porsche team. It is in this year, with this team, in the Porsche 956 that he's remembered best for. All because of his exploits at the mighty Nurburgring during practice for the 1000km race. His co-driver Derek Bell had been out earlier and at the time he and Stefan were second behind teammate Jochen Mass. Before he went out, Mass had set a pole time of 6'16. Bellof went out, rang out every bit of speed he could despite traffic and pulled out a 6'11. To this day, it still stands as the all-time lap record around the fearsome 13-mile track. What was also another amazing measure of his talent was that Bell's best lap in that car was 20 seconds slower. Can you imagine Hamilton today being faster than Kovalainen by that margin? It was unheard of then and it still would be today. Bellof suffered a massive accident in the race, but what was amusing was when Mass arrived on the scene. Seeing the severity of the crash, he feared the worst for Stefan. So you can imagine his amazement when he saw Bellof stood at the side of the track, waving to him from behind the barriers.
1984 was Bellof's breakthrough, when Ken Tyrrell snapped him up, but it seemed at the time that his duties with Porsche were more important. It is said that both McLaren and Lotus wanted him, but because he was racing in a works 956 backed by Rothmans, they didn't want him driving a car covered in the logos of their tobacco competitors in their market. Therefore it was Tyrrell that got him. Ken himself said that signing the next big talent and getting him to drive on weekends when he wasn't tied down with commitments with Porsche was better than not having him drive at all. Plus, with hardly any money in the team and no tobacco sponsorship to worry about, there wouldn't be any problems.
It proved to work. After disappointing luck in the first two races, he managed a 5th place at Zolder followed by 6th at Imola, both times after qualifying 21st and outdoing himself in a below average car with a non-turbocharged Ford DFY engine. But because the engine was so light, it helped the 012 chassis achieve a perfect weight balance. Next came Monaco, the race his F1 career is best remembered for. On the Saturday in qualifying, teammate Martin Brundle suffered a horrific crash at Tabac. He would have gone back out in the spare car had he not strapped himself in and then asked his pit crew "Right, which circuit are we at?". Therefore, Bellof had go solo. He almost hadn't qualified, but managed to scrape through and had to suffice with the back of the grid.
The day of the race saw a torrential downpour and treacherous driving conditions. The team had told him to go easy because of the weather, but this seemed to fall on deaf ears. Bellof passed 5 cars on the first lap and as the race went on kept on picking off greater talents than himself at the time. Keke Rosberg, Nigel Mansell and Niki Lauda all succumbed to the young German. It's said that had the race not been stopped, Bellof could have won, not Senna as everyone suggests.
After a collision with Brundle in Canada, Tyrrell were found to have impurities and lead shot in their fuel. Samples were taken away and they raced under appeal in Dallas. Before the British GP, they were stripped of all the points they'd scored up to that point for use of illegal fuel, after hydrocarbons were found contained in it, which were classed as an illegal fuel additive, and the lead was actually lead balls found in the rubber bag that was the water tank, therefore seemingly used as ballast. Ken himself said he had no idea about the hydrocarbons, that the cars had always stayed within the 540kg weight limit and that lead was not being used as ballast as a result. But this did nothing and the decision stood. This meant Bellof's incredible Monaco performance had effectively counted for nothing performance-wise.
While his F1 career wasn't going quite as he'd planned, Bellof was working wonders in sportscars. Victories at Monza, Nurburgring, Spa and Sandown Park in Australia secured him and Bell the 1984 title. But for 1985, he wanted to concentrate on trying to make a name for himself in F1. He stayed on with Tyrrell and once again had the 012 chassis at his disposal. Nothing good came of it in the first few races, but he got his break in Detroit. With a damaged car, he finished 4th and scored his first "legal" points of his career. Soon afterwards, the new 014 chassis came about with a turbocharged Renault engine but even so it still failed to produce the points scores Stefan was looking for.
Despite making a commitment to F1, Bellof once again took up a campaign in sportscars in a Porsche. This time however, he signed on to the private Brun Motorsport team run by Walter Brun. While he had already made his mind up where his focus was for the season, his love for racing these prototypes was just too much to give up. He was partnered with the Belgian Thierry Boutsen. After a 3rd at Mugello and a fastest lap at Hockenheim, the next round was at Spa. It's said that Stefan originally hadn't wanted to drive seeing as the private 956s were not on par with the factory Rothmans machines, but his love for the Ardennes circuit, where he'd won the year before, gave him the mindset that its nature would help him neutralise the works cars' advantage.
His theory seemed to work. He put the car 3rd on the grid out of 33 starters, and Boutsen was due to start. Before the race he described in a piece to camera the way to tackle the Eau Rouge corner, a location which was to have tragic consequences for him just hours later:
"You are driving very close to the barriers here, then there is a slight left corner. Some brake, some only lift the throttle. It's then taken very fast in 5th gear. The right hand uphill corner is taken at approx. 240-250kph with a Group C car. It's a little bit faster than a Group C car, because of arriving at the corner faster. The cornering speeds should be about the same, but you get to the corner earlier because of the better acceleration."
After a good start, Boutsen took the lead and stayed there until the pit stop, where a brake pad change cost them time and the lead to the works Porsche of Jacky Ickx. With Bellof now in the car, he was determined to regain 1st place once again. He was on the tail of the Ickx's car soon after the stop and they exited the La Source hairpin on lap 78 nose to tail. Getting into the slipstream, Bellof began to pull alongside as they both ran down the hill towards Eau Rouge. There was only room for one car but Stefan was having none of it. Ickx moved across him unknowingly and both cars touched. His car spun and hit the barrier backwards, while Bellof slammed in head-on. The impact was enough to tragically claim his life. As a mark of respect, the race was abandoned at that point and following this, Porsche hurried the development of the new, safer 962C sportscar.
Bellof's loss was as great to F1 as well as sportscars. Due to his death, F1 team principals were now much more stringent and strict when it came to their drivers racing in other series. According to a source on Stefan's official website, it's said that he had an offer on the table from Ferrari to race for them in 1986. Derek Bell also said that his death was down to a lack of discipline towards his driving style and that with proper driver training the accident wouldn't have occurred. Stefan always seemed to have a rebellious yet fun attitude to his life and career. Respected motorsport writer Nigel Roebuck wrote in a piece on Bellof about how, in his anxiousness to get to the Dijon circuit for the 1984 French GP, he cut the traffic by driving his Porsche 911 across the fields and through a gate and proceeded towards the track. Continuing on, Roebuck also wrote in this section about how he was compared with other great drivers:
"Very pleased with that, he was, and it taught him a lesson, too. For ever after, it became his practice to arrive at a track very early in the morning, then sit down to breakfast with the Tyrrell mechanics. Gilles Villeneuve was very similar in that respect; no wonder that both men were so loved by their teams. Martin Brundle, Bellof's Tyrrell team mate, once described him as "the fastest driver since Villeneuve", which was a hell of a compliment, honestly paid. In a racing car, Stefan was very much of that school, incredibly fast, with freakish reactions. Like Gilles, too, he was also apparently without a sense of fear.
Would Bellof have gone on to win Grands Prix? I have no doubt at all – indeed, I believe he might well have been Germany's World Champion. Unquestionably he had the ability, and, although it has never been officially confirmed by Ferrari, there is little doubt that he would have partnered Michele Alboreto in the team in 1986. His death, in the '85 Spa 1000 Kms, was a dreadful loss to the sport, and even more of one to those who knew him."
On that day in the Ardennes, motor racing and Germany lost one of its great up and coming talents. He was a brilliant driver who was taken away before he even got a chance to show his true worth. You could say that the spirit of Bellof lives on today in Sebastian Vettel. Perhaps he can carry on his legacy in some way and become world champion. Like it was with Stefan, it was and is a case of when rather than if. Sadly, whether we would have had 2 German world champions by now is a statistic we'll never know.
As we continue our quest to find out more about the young drivers who will be testing in Formula 1 machinery at Jerez next week, we turn our attention to the Mercedes drivers. We looked at the Toro Rosso duo yesterday, but now it's time to have a look at the former Brawn GP team.
Mike Conway
Age: 26
Nationality: British
F1 Experience: Test driver for Honda Racing in 2007.
Notable Achievements: 1st in British Formula Renault 2004, 1st in British F3 2006, 12th in GP2 2008, 17th in IndyCar 2009
Conway is relatively old for the young driver test, and has been linked with Honda test driver roles for quite a few years now. His career has progressed through Formula Ford and Formula Renault, to GP2 and he made the switch to IndyCar this year. He had a mixed season with just one third place podium towards the end of the season. He also had quite the crash during practice for the Indy 500 and was taken to hospital with concussion worries.
He's managed by 2MB - the company formed by Martin Brundle and Mark Blundell - and has links with the previous incarnation of this team. He's currently scheduled to run for three days, sharing each with Ericsson.
Marcus Ericsson
Age: 19
Nationality: Swedish
F1 Experience: None
Notable Achievements: 1st in Formula BMW UK 2007, 1st in Japanese Formula Three 2009, 4th Macau Grand Prix 2009
I can't seem to find any reference to Ericsson in terms of previous Formula 1 experience, so this may be his first time in an F1 car - and what a way to start, with a championship winning team. At the moment, Ericsson is competing in the 2009-10 GP2 Asia series, with events at Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.
He's so far finished 11th and 12th during the Formula 1 support race in Abu Dhabi. Not great, but at least he is getting experience of F1 tracks. Previously his British Formula Three outings saw him race at Monza, Spa, Silverstone and Hockenheim as well.
Marcus is currently scheduled to test alongside Conway for all three days of the Jerez test.
All Posts in The Series: Jerez Testing December 2009
Nick takes the idea of improvised comedy and applies it to the world of Formula 1, taking a superb set of panellists through some great scenarios and seeing what they can come up with.
I have, for a long time, been the minority voice calling for Martin Brundle's pre-race gridwalk to be axed. When it made the switch to the BBC along with Martin, I wasn't impressed. I do understand the joy of some unscripted driver moments, but I can't bear the painful minutes of TV that it takes to get there.
Brundle himself has said he isn't a perfect TV interviewer, or presenter, but he loves to walk the grid and if the fans love to see it, then he's happy to provide. Personally, it was a perfect moment to make lunch ahead of the Grand Prix.
This weekend, I've changed my opinion on the gridwalk, and that isn't just because there was a good minute or so of Rob Smedley footage, plus some questions to the man himself. The reason the walk no longer makes me cringe is because David Coulthard has joined the fun.
In a single broadcasting decision, the BBC have revolutionised the grid coverage. Martin no longer has to meander about the grid looking for someone to talk to, if there is no one available, he has DC there to discuss things with. Coulthard has the drivers perspective, and knows what the guys out there are going through. He provides some insight that Martin Brundle has probably lost since his years in the car.
When Brundle was angling for a chat with Vettel, when the young German was surrounded by other people, DC captured Christian Horner for a few questions as well. He has the connections, he has the friends, and he has some great thoughts to share.
The pair of them finally did catch up with Vettel, and Brundle's questions garnered mono-syllabic answers. Do you think you can win? How will you do in the wet? DC managed to get more out of the pole-sitter than Martin ever would have. This isn't necessarily a judgement against Brundle because he is well loved in F1 commentary circles, but having DC beside him, in my opinion, makes all the difference. I may even watch the entire grid walk next time.
Apparently, not only is it the first day of a brand new month, it is also International Children's Day. With that in mind, we should be very aware of the cry "Won't somebody think of the children?" which has been used a couple of times in the comments already this week. Here are some of the other things we are discussing:
Alex Wurz and his new team Superfund are set to make a heroic entrance into F1 - if they are selected, of course. The team have funding in place but aren't getting anything organised until they get the nod. It will be good to see Mr Wurz back in the sport, although I can't see him in the team principal role. Mr C thinks he might be quite good as the boss, however.
It's also Martin Brundle's birthday today, which is only really interesting because I was thinking about Alex Brundle and his performance in F2. I kept an eye on the results, and find myself interested in Brundle Jr, and Natacha Gachnang, and that is pretty much it. Anyone else catch it, interested in it, got a fave or already? Or couldn't care less?
BMW have confirmed in their Turkey preview quotes (oooh, is it that time already?) that they'll be running the double decker diffuser. Is it going to make any difference for them? Or have they scuppered their own season this early on?
That'll do it for now. The replay of the live streaming show we did last night is up if you feel like watching, or the edited show should be out this evening. Don't forget to vote on the Circuit Cup semi final, and I'll see you in the comments.
Time is ticking onwards, and I have spotted a lot of people starting to get restless and impatient for the season to start. It's so close now, though, and we have waited so long, a few more days isn't going to do any harm.
The FIA have published the final entry list for the 2009 season, and there's just a couple of tweaks. Brawn have moved down and the Ferrari boys seem to have swapped over. Do you think Massa had a bit of a moan?
Raikkonen reckons that he is ten times more comfortable in the new than he was in last year's machine. He doesn't want to make any predictions about the upcoming season but is feeling more confident than this time in 2008. That's a good start to the season for the Finn, because we know a lot of last year's problems were an unsuitable car.
Martin Brundle is not afraid of making predictions, though, and the BBC commentator has his money on Renault, and specifically Alonso, for success this year. Pat Symonds is also determined to win a couple of races this year, so if all this talk translates to success out on track, we're looking at a Renault resurgance!
That's about it for now, please feel free to veer off topic if you've got something to say. That's what the Daily threads are for. As ever, I'll see you in the comments.
This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.
This is one of the first motorsport related books that I ever read, and it's a really good one. At first glance, it looks like an autobiography, but there is none of the early family stories. For an F1 fan, it's a gem, as it focuses solely on racing.
The format of the book is a chapter per circuit, with Brundle talking us through his favourite memories from each track. There are some classic stories from his racing days, some real insight into what it's like to be inside the car and approaching those famous corners at speed, and some real humour about his own mistakes, and his fellow drivers.
Brundle had help from the well-respected journalist Maurice Hamilton to translate his thoughts onto paper, and it becomes a fantastic journey through the well loved circuits. There are also some that you may not have seen, especially if you're a new fan. I've been obsessed with F1 for only a few years, and therefore there are a lot of circuits I haven't seen in action. Martin's writing makes the circuits come to life, and just glancing at a few pictures makes them as real as if they were on the calendar today.
The book is a couple of years old now, but as it's simply a memoir of sorts, it doesn't feel aged as you read it. One of the best things about the book is that Brundle talks as though you know what he's referring to. Although some particularly technical references need explanation, the descriptions aren't patronising, which is a really important factor for racing. There are some complex technologies at work in motorsport, especially when it comes to cornering and the driver techniques put into practice. Thankfully, Brundle assumes you are intelligent and describes them in plain English, but without making you feel stupid. It's a good skill to have, and one he and Maurice carry off expertly.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about Formula 1 from someone inside the car. A great insight and useful companion when building up to the start of a season.
We had a packed day yesterday, with the trade show and the Bloggers karting. Both were fun in their unique ways, and we'll be telling you all about them later in today's show. Before that, though, there are plenty of things to discuss, as plenty has been happening whilst we've been out and about.
Ferrari have decided to move their launch to Mugello. This isn't perhaps the most exciting news of the day, but it does remind us that the first of the 2009 breed of cars is due to be revealed tomorrow. What will it look like? Will it be the final evolution of the car? And what hype will the Ferrari guys surround the launch with?
Brundle was on stage at Autosport, with his son, but said that 2009 is really too hard to predict. Whilst Murray Walker put his money squarely on Kubica and the BMW team, Brundle is more conservative with his future gazing. I did hear him say that he's not too worried about Eddie Jordan on live TV, having made some of his own gaffes this year. At least he's not too embarrassed to admit them.
Talking of gaffes, I made a complete fool of myself. Maxi Jazz was wandering around taking pictures. I was telling Mr C an amusing story of a six year old being enthused by seeing the Faithless lead singer, whilst I didn't have a clue who he was. I then looked over my shoulder to see Mr Jazz and his friend standing right behind. Had he heard me or hadn't he? To make me feel better about my faux pas, please tell me if you've had equally embarrassing moments?
There will be pictures and stories to tell from our adventures in Birmingham yesterday, but as I said, keep chatting amongst yourselves while we recover sufficiently to get them out. Andy has already put his photos up, which just puts us to shame. Nevertheless, F1 Debrief returns today, and until then, I'll see you in the comments.
Update: Debrief show delayed due to excessive karting-related bruises.
