F1 2010

[David Morton]

It seems Renault are trying to raise a substantial sum of money to fund the F1 team.
One figure I've heard is a minimum £20m but £40m would be better. Anybody to help them here ? Why is the European press, such as Bild, so well informed ?

 

[Keith]

Why is the European press, such as Bild, so well informed ?

That's easy Dave. It's HIS fault...

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Williams sell minority stake in team


<!-- ArticleBodyStart -->Williams owners Frank Williams and Patrick Head announced Friday that they have sold a minority interest in the team to an investment company led by Austrian Toto Wolff, who also joins the Williams board of directors.

Wolff, a 37-year-old venture capitalist from Vienna, is a keen racer and motorsport enthusiast. His driving CV includes a wide range of series, from Formula Ford to touring cars, FIA GTs and rallying. Most recently he was runner-up in the 2006 Austrian rally championship.

His investment companies are also heavily involved in motorsport, through the likes of HWA, who build and race cars for Mercedes in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), and Baumschlager Rallye Racing, who run Red Bull’s Rally Junior Programme.

Wolff also co-owns a company with two-time Formula One world champion Mika Hakkinen, involved in the management of up and coming young drivers

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Sauber in trouble?

There are more fears about the Qadbak company, which has acquired the Sauber F1 team from BMW. The mysterious Swiss foundation is also the owner of the Notts County soccer club in England but the latest news from there is that the soccer team may be wound up on November 18 at the High Court as a bankruptcy order has been tabled following the failure of the previous owner Blenheim 1862 to clear a debt. The petition to wind the team up comes from HM Revenue and Customs. Qadbak owns Notts County via a British Virgin Islands company called Munto Finance, which owns the shares of Blenheim 1862. It is reported that as part of the purchase it was agreed that the £400,000 owed to HM Revenue and Customs would be paid, but it has not been, raising questions about whether Qadbak really has the money it claims.

It is worth noting also that there has been a change in recent days on the board of the BMW-Sauber team with highly respected financier Oswald Grubel resigning his position. The chief executive of UBS has not given any reason for his decision.

 

[David Morton]

Bild am Sonntag, a German Sunday newspaper says Rosberg will be joined by Schumacher at BAR. Sorry, I mean Honda. Wrong again. Brawn ? No - Mercedes......
It claims it will be a superteam pairing of these two. Until Schumacher gets up to his old tricks that he did when paired with Johnny Herbert in Benetton. Amazing if it happens and more amazing if Schu's contract allows him to get away with it, because it certainly did in Benetton. The down side? Remember how the crown figures started declining in the last Schumblitz ? But the Red Army (not the soviets but the German ferrari fans ) will need to change their tea shirts and ball caps - possibly to a silvery colour but to be different from Big Rons colours. Speaking of Big Ron, some reports about Whitmarsh's demise a few weeks ago but it's all gone quiet again.
Right .......
Back to raking up the leaves.

 

[Price Walton]

Bild am Sonntag, a German Sunday newspaper says Rosberg will be joined by Schumacher at BAR. Sorry, I mean Honda. Wrong again. Brawn ? No - Mercedes......

Tyrrell.

 

[David Morton]

Yes indeed. In mitigation they were at a different factory but you are absolutely correct.

 

[David Morton]

Brawn says Schumacher is a load of bollocks.
He is referring to the rumours that MS will be part of Merc f1.
I think.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

It's total bollocks David, but that kind of crap sells newspapers so there will be rumours about a Shuey comeback until it stops bumping up the circulation or the ratings.
The gentlemen of the press have conveniently forgotten about his dodgy neck.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Mecedes finally confirms Rosberg for 2010.

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-mercedes-confirms-rosberg-for-2010/

 

[David Morton]

Pat Symonds and Flavio Briatore get their day in court in Paris - today the 24th.

About four weeks for a result.

 

[Keith]

About four weeks for a result.

Yeah really Dave. This little guy will be on the phone to you within hours..

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

British driver Paul di Resta and current Indy Lights champion American JR Hildebrand will share driving duties of the VJM02 for the test in Jerez, Spain next week. Twenty-three year old Paul and 21-year old JR were given a chance to use a simulator last week and the two came out as the best of the candidates.
Di Resta, from West Lothian, Scotland, is a Mercedes works driver in the German touring car series, the DTM, and finished third overall with one win in the 2009 championship. He also has an impressive record in the junior formulae, winning the 2006 Formula 3 Euroseries against a field including current F1 race winner Sebastian Vettel. In 2004 Paul was awarded the prestigious McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year.
Hildebrand is from California and has to prominence on the American racing scene thanks to his victory in the Indy Lights series.

 

[Mesa]

JR is from just up the road but then again so was Scott Speed (if ever there was a name made for racing). I guess I can cheer for him not to get lapped if he gets a ride......

 

[David Morton]

Sauber will get the two slots on the grid this week. Qadbak is out of the equation
and BMW tailored the re -acquisition of the team by Peter Sauber and his backers favourably.
How nice.

 

[David Morton]

Allegedly the appeal court in Paris went favourably - but in whose favour is anybody's guess ! We will know early in January.

 

[Keith]

So, Bernie Brown Nose's best mate in the Brave New World of F1 tracks is in the shite eh?

Looks as if not only did we pay for it through oil profits, but if they renege on their debt I should imagine the major financial institutions, in Britain and the US will have to take a large hit which, er, means us.

So, Silverstone should do what Dubai have done should they Bernie you tosser?

All that glisters is not gold mate... :veryangry:

 

[Keith]

Manor MS now Virgin F1. Wonder how long before their maiden victory?

USF1 confirmed by FIA yesterday as on the grid in 2010 :huh:

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Manor MS now Virgin F1. Wonder how long before their maiden victory?

Boom! Boom!:laugh:

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

One rumour doing the rounds in F1 circles at the moment is that Japan's Panasonic wants to stay in F1 and with Toyota having folded up its F1 tent the sponsorship, agreed for three years in March last year, is up for grabs. It is rumoured to be worth around $48m a year.
Panasonic and Toyota have been together since 2001 and there is an industrial alliance between them over the supply of batteries for the Toyota hybrids but at the same time the company wants the publicity that F1 provided, not least because rival LG is now big in F1 circles. If such a deal were to go ahead it would be safe to assume that Kamui Kobayashi might be included. The problem is that Toyota is not keen for Panasonic to do any B2B deals with Renault. Even if the Panasonic deal with Renault is not possible Renault may be considering Kobayashi as he would be useful for Renault's partner Nissan