Mike Gascoyne: Back and fighting

Former Toyota chief talks of the past and the future

07/01/2007 by Christine

Mike Gascoyne was doing a good job in the paddock for Toyota. He was the technical director for the Japanese team, but after several disagreements about the future direction of the team, he was unceremoniously fired. Gascoyne was given six months paid leave to ease the blow, and he's landed on his feet with the technical chief position at Spyker MF1.

Briatore's boasting

Renault boss discusses Kimi Räikkönen

04/01/2007 by Christine

To me, it would appear that the real competition of next year is going to be between McLaren and Ferrari, with the battle between Alonso and Raikkonen continuing with strength.

Toro Rosso drivers remain unconfirmed

Liuzzi and Speed are in the frame, but no announcement yet

04/01/2007 by Christine

Gerhard Berger, the boss of Torro Rosso, has decided that he doesn't mind being the only team who have not confirmed their drivers for 2007. Although Liuzzi and Speed drove for the team last year, and seemed to do a pretty good job, nothing has been set in stone for next year.

Honda's unfailing optimism

Teams always believe things can only get better

04/01/2007 by Christine

Last year was a bit of a washout for Honda last year. I mean, yea, yea, Jenson got his first win and he was so excited that his eyes nearly popped out of his head. But aside from that, there really wasn't all that much to be cheerful about.

Webber's wistful thinking

Mark discusses his F1 career so far

31/12/2006 by Christine

In a week where no news is... no news, Webber has come out of the woodwork to talk about his debut in Formula 1.

The new, improved, happy, smiley Räikkönen

Ferrari demand simple things from their new driver

24/12/2006 by Christine

So when I was looking at the quotes from Ferrari top bods about Schumacher's new position within their organisation, I came across a great sentence from Stefano Domenicali.

The hero previously known as Michael

Schumacher becomes a consultant and scout for Ferrari

24/12/2006 by Christine

Because Ferrari are still very much in love with Michael Schumacher, they continue to torment me by including him in their Formula 1 team. They've always said that they wanted to keep him involved in the future, and they're not changing their minds.

Two new confirmations

Spyker and BMW-Sauber announce new driver signings

21/12/2006 by Christine

The second driver at Spyker Formula One has been confirmed as Adrian Sutil for the 2007 season. The German is 23 years old and has apparently signed a long-term deal.

Safety's our problem, not yours

The FIA tell the GPDA to mind their own business

21/12/2006 by Christine

The president of the FIA Max Mosley has been telling off the GPDA that they should keep their noses out of the safety issue involved in circuits. The Grand Prix Driver's Association has been expressing concerns about safety at Barcelona, and earlier this year at Monza.

Jerez test: Day four

Lewis Hamilton heads the pack for the second time

16/12/2006 by Christine

The last day of testing for 2006 found Lewis Hamilton at the top spot for the second time in his so-far short F1 career. Hamilton kept his eyes on the ball, despite most of the attention being on Alonso's McLaren debut.

Alonso's first appearance in the McLaren

Renault finally relinquish hold on defending champion

15/12/2006 by Christine

Flavio Briatore has let go of Fernando Alonso. Apparently, the double world champion made a personal request of his ex-boss to release him early and let him join his new team for the last test of the year.

Toro Rosso tease

The driver lineup remains a mystery

15/12/2006 by Christine

Toro Rosso are being a bit of a woman about their driver choice - and by that I mean that they can't make up their midns. We all thought it was going to be Scott Speed and Vitantonio Liuzzi, but apparently the second Red Bull Team are not going to be confirming the pair until next year.

Jerez test: Day three

McLaren lead the way on third day of Jerez test

14/12/2006 by Christine

Pedro de la Rosa helped McLaren reclaim the top spot during testing today. He and driver Lewis Hamilton continued to focus on the tyres and to develop the suspension packages. Hamilton suffered some pneumatic engine issues in the morning, but it didn't hamper him too much and he still finished fourth in the time sheets.

Olivier Panis waves goodbye

Toyota bids farewell to their test driver

14/12/2006 by Christine

I seem to recall the name Olivier Panis which leads me to believe that he drove an F1 car during one of the early years that I watched. I've only been watching for about four years, and I've only really been paying attention in the last two, so it wouldn't be surprising.

Jerez test: Day two

Heikki Kovalainen brings Renault to the top spot in Spain

13/12/2006 by Christine

The peace and quiet that Toyota experienced yesterday was utterly smashed today as all the other teams, except for Spyker, took to the track. Heikki Kovalainen headed up the times, showing off his skills with Renault, whilst Fisichella lagged behind in 5th.

Jerez test: Day one

Toyota start their testing a day early

12/12/2006 by Christine

Toyota again kept themselves separate from the other teams by starting their test a day earlier than everyone else. In Barcelona they were a day late, at least this week they are ahead of the crowd.

Kimi be Goode

Ferrari set to take a firm approach with their new signing

12/12/2006 by Christine

Ferrari are being the stern team bosses that Kimi Räikkönen never had. The Finn often found himself the subject of tabloid gossip after drunken nights and kiss and tell stories, so much so that it was not unusual for Ron Dennis himself to have to come to the rescue.

Renault read Ferrari's mind

Flavio Briatore unravels his rivals motives

12/12/2006 by Christine

Since running on Bridgestone tyres for the the first time in November and December, Renault have discovered why they think Ferrari made such a fuss about the mass damper system that caused such a storm last year.

Jenson sitting out some more

Button's rib injury continues to delay his return

12/12/2006 by Christine

Jenson Button is still recovering from his rib injury, after hurting himself karting for his winter training. He has already had to miss both tests so far this past month and Honda have now announced that Button will not be driving in the final winter test at Jerez.

F1 Jerez test: Day three

Rubens Barrichello takes P1 for Honda

08/12/2006 by Christine

Ferrari dominated the first test in Barcelona, but thankfully other teams are managing to claim some of the glory for themselves. Yesterday was McLaren, and today it's Honda Racing. No Jenson Button still, of course, but Rubens Barrichello did the job for the Japanese team, with test driver James Rossiter following close behind.