F1 2008

[Pete McCluskey.]

McLaren document claims Renault did gain an advantage

News agency Reuters reported on Friday that they have seen a legal document outlining the evidence McLaren have submitted to the FIA, relating to the latest Renault spying controversy.

In December, Renault will appear before the World Motor Sport Council to answer charges that the team had unauthorised possession of confidential data belonging to their British rivals.

In the leaked document, McLaren’s solicitors suggest that the information taken from the squad was “knowingly, deliberately and widely disseminated and discussed within the Renault F1 design and engineering team”. It also alleges that over thirty files of data was loaded onto Renault’s computer system and that those files contained more than 780 technical drawings of the 2006 and 2007 McLaren cars.

Earlier this month, Renault admitted that an engineer had brought with him several computer discs containing technical spreadsheets and engineering drawing from his previous employer McLaren. The French squad also acknowledged that this information was then loaded onto the engineer’s computer and some of it was shown to other members of staff.

Renault, however, insist that the data was not used to influence the design of their car. The hearing will take place on December 6, 2007.

 

[Keith]

Sorry, just looking for Pete's post and this is the only way I could bring up page 6!

 

[David Morton]

Hamilton has been running around town pretending to avoid the paparazzi with a tall leggy elderly supermodel - old enough to be his mum. It was him that told us a few weeks ago that he's going to Switzerland to avoid all of this.
It probably was his mum on second thoughts, all dressed up to look like Briatores old 'pash' Naomi C.

 

[Paolo-LoveGT40 Modelworks]

Kmon Dave.. It is Naomi Campbell.
Think also I will become at once a old mature lover (but just after a BIG wash...cause she touched also Iron Mike..)

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

There have been many rumours today about Fernando Alonso meeting up with Honda and supposedly having a seat fitting. These are not true but that does not mean that the Spaniard has not been talking to Honda. The big question is whether Honda is talking back. The bottom line is that a double World Champion in his prime is a rare thing to find on the F1 driver market and that means that probably all the teams have been talking to Alonso. It would be foolish not to.
But who knows where he will end up?
Clearly there is something holding back a decision about the future and one must assume that this is talk involving various teams rather than a straight deal with Renault which has been much discussed. The big question is which teams are involved. Red Bull Racing has embarrassed itself by being quite unable to get the story straight with some saying there are no talks and others saying there are talks. Toyota seems to have removed itself from the equation by signing Timo Glock but is that deal as solid as it seems? Honda says that talk of Alonso at Honda is "pure speculation" but that is not a denial. However there have been straight denials of meetings and seat fittings.
And in the meanwhile BMW and Williams have made no noises at all about Fernando. Both have drivers under contract and seem to be satisfied with that.

 

[Keith]

Yeah but you know Frankie is a bit of a cheapskate which some people would call very shrewd (me included). After all, his office used to be a public phone box and you could never accuse Frank of spending a pound twice.

FA would just be too rich for his blood....unless..... Ting! Leverage for some big bucks?

If it is possible these days for a privateer to make it back to the big time - it will be Frank....

 

[David Morton]

A letter from Giancarlo to Bernie - by the way Bernie is the tiny little guy with a very tall wife...


Ho letto con interesse la tua intervista su Auto Moto und Sport, fedelmente riportata sul tuo sito. Tu sei il papà della Formula Uno e come un papà hai parlato un po’ di tutti i tuoi figli, me compreso. Volevo però ricordarti caro papà, anzi caro Bernie, che sono stato proprio io a vincere il primo Gran Premio con la Renault nel 2005 a Melbourne e sono stato dunque io a scoprire per primo che la R25 era una macchina vincente. Nelle due stagioni con Alonso, in pieno accordo con le strategie della mia squadra, ho contribuito alla conquista di due titoli mondiali costruttori conquistando da buon ”team player” anche il quarto posto finale nell’assoluto, proprio come Massa quest’anno. Non credo, viste le circostanze, che potessi fare di più. Nel 2007 la Renault mi ha promesso una macchina vincente e così non e’ stato, ma non mi sono certo demoralizzato! La prossima settimana, infatti, porterò il mio entusiasmo e la mia esperienza alla Force India, una squadra giovane ma con il cuore “antico” proprio come Giancarlo Fisichella che di cuore ne ha ancora tanto da vendere!
Giancarlo Fisichella.

Dear Bernie,
I read with interest your interview in Auto Moto und Sport, faithfully published by your own web site. You are the father of Formula One and like a father you have talked about your children, including me. I wanted to remind you dear daddy, I mean dear Bernie, that I am the one who won the first Grand Prix in Melbourne in 2005 with Renault and therefore I was the one who first discovered the R25 as a winning car. In the two seasons I spent alongside Alonso, in full agreement with the strategies of my Team, I have contributed to two constructor titles, taking home the fourth place in the drivers’championship, just like Massa this year. Given the circumstances I believe I could not do any better. In 2007 Renault promised me a championship winning car, but this has not been the case and for this I did not get demoralized! Next week, in fact, I will bring my enthusiasm and my experience to Force India, a young team with an “old heart” just like Giancarlo Fisichella who has still some talent to show!
Giancarlo Fisichella.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

From Grand prix.com


BMW Motorsport announced that it will be testing Marko Asmer (23) and Javier Villa (20) at Jerez this week. The two will be competing to become the new reserve driver for the German company following the departures of Sebastian Vettel to Scuderia Toro Rosso and Timo Glock to Toyota. Perahps, however, the most interesting news from Munich was that longtime motorsport ambassador Hans Stuck is leaving the firm to move to a new job at Volkswagen. There have been suggestions that this may result in Stuck being the head of a Volkswagen Formula 1 project.
VW has often been rumoured as being involved in moves towards F1, particularly as Audi has achieved all it can achieve in sports car racing, with a string of wins at Le Mans and in the American Le Mans Series. The news about Stuck's move coincides with big changes going on at Volkswagen where a decision of the European Court of Justice in October has opened the way for a change of control. The Volkswagen Law granted the state of Lower Saxony special privileges as it was allowed to control the firm no matter who owned the shares. The Porsche car company has been buying Volkswagen stock for some years and has plans to increase its share to 50% of the company. The European Court decision means that Porsche will now control Volkswagen. Porsche itself is controlled by the Porsche Family, headed by Ferdinand Piech, the grandson of the founder. The story is complicated because Ferdinand Porsche was also the founder of Volkswagen and Piech became chairman of Volkswagen between 1993 to 2002. Since he retired Piech has seemed to be on a mission to get Volkswagen back under Porsche Family control. The Stuck Family is also involved in the story as Hans Stuck's father Hans Sr was the man who introduced Ferdinand Porsche to Adolf Hitler and by doing so brought about the decision for the Nazi government to fund the AutoUnion racing team. This also led to Hitler agreeing to fund the establishment of Volkswagen.
Piech and Stuck may now be planning to take Volkswagen back into Grand Prix racing.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Is there any truth in the rumour that Alonso is to be the next Stig?

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Back on slicks,

Unofficial Tuesday times from Jerez:
1. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:19.042
2. Jenson Button, Honda, 1:19.155
3. Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren, 1:19.712
4. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:20.063
5. Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault, 1:20.366
6. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:20.615
7. Gary Paffett, McLaren, 1:20.638
8. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:20.682
9. Marc Gene, Ferrari, 1:20.832
10. Mike Conway, Honda, 1:20.927
11. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:21.060
12. James Rossiter, Super Aguri, 1:21.246
13. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:21.336
14. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India, 1:21.424
15. Nico Hulkenberg, Williams, 1:21.551
16. Franck Montagny, Force India, 1:21.559
17. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:21.566
18. Marko Asmer, BMW Sauber, 1:21.962
19. Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota, 1:22.196
20. Javier Villa, BMW Sauber, 1:22.503

 

[Price Walton]

Where there's sponsors, there's hope

Philips extends sponsorship of Williams



Philips Shavers today signed a new multi-year sponsorship agreement with the AT&T Williams team. The agreement, which runs through to the end of the 2010 Formula One season, includes exclusive access to promotional collateral and an increased level of branding with the team.
“Over its first two years, Philips partnership with the AT&T Williams team has yielded significant returns for our shaving business and raised the global profile of the Philips Shavers brand” said Nico Engelsman, Senior Vice President, Philips Shavers. “We are proud to be an official partner of one of Formula One’s most successful teams, a team which shares our core values of technical innovation and the pursuit of excellence. Entering into a new three year sponsorship agreement clearly demonstrates Philips Shavers confidence in our partnership and in the AT&T Williams team" he concluded.

The Philips Shavers brand will now appear on the back of the team’s shirts as well as existing branding positions on the nose of the car and on the team’s overalls. In addition to Official Sponsor Designation, use of logo and team imagery, Philips Shavers also has promotional rights via both team drivers, Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima.

In 2008, Philips Shavers enters its third season as a sponsor of the AT&T Williams team. So far in 2007, Philips’ Domestic Appliances and Personal Care (DAP) business has continued to see exceptional growth with a 20% increase in Q3 sales compared to the same period in 2006. The clear success of the partnership and the support it has provided to the launch of Philips breakthrough shaving products, arcitec and Moisturising shaving system, has led to Philips Shavers long term commitment to the AT&T Williams team.

Sir Frank Williams, Team Principal, AT&T Williams commented: “We are delighted to have Philips Shavers continued support in 2008 and are equally pleased that they are achieving such positive results through the relationship. Their shavers brand has continued to develop effective and creative Formula One-themed promotional activities which has impacted positively on sales. We look forward to their continued support over the next three years as well as ensuring the team remain clean-shaven and presentable at all times."

The AT&T Williams team and Philips Shavers partnership is a strategic alliance that brings together two companies with similar values and culture. AT&T Williams is one of the world’s leading Formula One teams and has secured 16 FIA Formula One World Championship titles, whilst Philips Shavers holds the number one position in the electrical shaving market. Today, Formula One is the world’s single most popular annual televised sporting event with an average of 162 million TV viewers across the globe per Grand Prix. Philips’ continuing partnership with the AT&T Williams team, has been and will be extremely important for global exposure and marketing of the Philips Shavers brand for the next three years.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

FROM GRAND PRIX.COM.

The night before the World Council


Thursday is going to be a highly-charged day in Formula 1 circles as the FIA World Council members gather in Monte Carlo to decide what to do about the espionage claims against Renault F1. After the Council's astonishing ruling in September, it is going to be difficult to try to justify a lesser punishment against Renault as the evidence put forward appears to be far more damaging than that in the McLaren case. The FIA may argue that McLaren was punished because it tried to hide what it had done and that Renault was much more open but such a judgement is stepping into a legal minefield because there is no evidence that McLaren did anything beyond what it has said it did. Thus, to be totally fair, the same rules must apply in the Renault case.
The level of discontent in F1 circles is now just below the surface and a controversial decision could lead to an outburst of public criticism of the federation as those involved become more determined to see that justice is properly done and that the espionage problems be ended quickly and fairly. There is the possibility of an amnesty for all concerned and a new code of conduct but that would involve giving back McLaren's points and withdrawing the $100m fine. Ferrari might make a fuss but as it has won both World Championships (assuming that the McLaren points in Budapest remain outside the decision) so there is less reason to be difficult. That might be the wisest thing to do and if teams wish to take civil action against one another then that will be left to them to do. Once those have been settled the FIA would be in much stronger position to justify punishment. In such a case it would be wise for all concerned to agree not to go after one another for damages to their reputations. That would wipe out the problems in an instant and get the sport moving in the right direction once again.
The danger is that the World Council decision against Renault may open up even bigger problems if it is not perceived to be on a par with what happened to McLaren. There would no doubt be much justification of such a decision but would that be enough to stop the unrest?
Obviously much has been going on behind the scenes in recent days and on Wednesday evening the FIA asked McLaren to make corrections to a press briefing that was given to certain journalists about the Renault case. This is rather odd as there were all manner of wild stories circulating before the McLaren case back in July but there was no FIA reaction at that point, although there was much speculation that the media was being briefed by Ferrari.
Whatever the details, the story is not much better news for Renault. There were, for example, 18 witness statements from Renault employees admitting that they had viewed McLaren confidential information but these were provided not by 18 individuals but rather only from 13 and only nine of them admitted that they viewed the McLaren technical information. There were 11 disks loaded on to Renault computers but it seems that all that Renault staff are admitting is that they saw computer print outs or hard copies of the documents. The documents ran to 762 pages which included 18 technical drawings rather than the suggestions that there were that many drawings. Renault engineer Phil Mackereth admits that he took hard copy drawings of McLaren’s dampers and McLaren says that the drawings plus the information in a confidential MP4-22A specification document taken by Mackereth constitute "a technical definition of the fundamental layout of the 2007 McLaren car and the technical details of its innovative and performance enhancing systems".
The details are a little different to what was suggested - but the reality is that this does not affect the charges against Renault. This interlude could, in theory, provide the FIA with a loophole to try to say that the team cannot be given a fair hearing because of the information that leaked into the public domain, but that did not stop the federation making a decision against McLaren back in September and there is no reason why it should now stop a similar penalty being applied to Renault.
A decision that is perceived to be unfair is likely to be big trouble. Attitudes have been hardening in F1 for some months and there are signs that a decision seen as being unfair will lead to calls for resignations within the FIA. The federation does not have to listen to such criticism - and is unlikely to do so - but that is not going to solve the problem of an erosion of credibility that some feel has been going on.
McLaren is unlikely to appeal nor go to a civil court, but if the team is not happy with the judgement there is a sound argument for putting in charges implicating yet another team, thus forcing the FIA to consider more charges and make more decisions.
The proceedings of the World Council will presumably be recorded and made available to the international media - as was the case in the McLaren hearings. To do anything less than that would be perceived as being unfair as all of McLaren's supposed transgressions were detailed in endless pages of transcript.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

PRESS RELEASE ON BEHALF OF VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES

The FIA has asked us to correct certain factual errors contained in a press briefing given on our behalf by one journalist concerning Renault F1 and we are pleased to do so. The corrections are as follows.

In our briefing, we stated that there were 18 witness statements from Renault employees admitting that they had viewed McLaren confidential information.

To the extent that this implied that 18 different Renault employees admitted viewing McLaren confidential information it was inaccurate. 13 Renault F1 employees provided 18 witness statements and 9 of them have so far admitted they viewed and discussed the confidential technical information belonging to McLaren.

We stated that the confidential information on computer disks was uploaded onto 11 Renault computers.

This is not accurate. Mr Mackereth copied information onto 11 computer disks. The information on these 11 computer disks was uploaded by Renault IT staff in September 2006 onto Renault’s T: drive and then transferred by Mr Mackereth to his personal home directory stored on Renault's network server. A back up copy of the material on Mr Mackereth’s personal directory was made onto an unknown number of Renault’s back up servers/tapes.

Our briefing could have been interpreted as suggesting that the Renault employees who admitted sight of McLaren Confidential Information all viewed it on computer screens.

Only Mr Mackereth and Mr Hardie admit viewing McLaren Confidential Information on Mr Mackereth’s computer. The other seven employees who have admitted seeing McLaren Confidential Information admit seeing it in the form of computer print outs or hard copy documents.

We said that the information on the 11 computer disks taken by Mr Mackereth included 780 individual drawings.

This was an error. The information taken by Mr Mackereth on floppy disks, in hard copy form and by email amounts to 762 pages when printed out. The 11 computer disks included 18 individual technical drawings. Mr Mackereth also admits that he took hard copy drawings of McLaren’s dampers.

We said that the McLaren information amounted to the "entire technical blueprint of the 2006 and 2007 McLaren car".

This requires clarification. The position is that, the McLaren drawings plus the information in a confidential MP4 - 22A Specification document taken by Mr Mackereth constitute a technical definition of the fundamental layout of the 2007 McLaren car and the technical details of its innovative and performance enhancing systems.

We are pleased to assist the FIA in making the above clear in advance of tomorrow's hearing.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

They are kidding aren't they? One rule for Mclaren, a different one for Renault.

WORLD MOTOR SPORT COUNCIL
DECISION
06.12.2007
An extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council was held in Monaco on December 6, 2007.
The World Council found Renault F1 to be in breach of article 151c of the International Sporting Code but imposed no penalty.
Detailed reasons for this decision will be issued on December 7, 2007, and a transcript of the proceedings will be published as soon as possible thereafter.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Unofficial Wednesday times from Jerez:
1. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:19.371
2. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:19.421
3. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:19.761
4. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:19.779
5. Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren, 1:19.887
6. Nelson Piquet Jr, Renault, 1:19.982
7. Christian Klien, Force India, 1:20.187
8. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:20.398
9. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India, 1:20.470
10. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 1:20.487
11. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:20.523
12. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:20.533
13. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:20.671
14. Andreas Zuber, Honda, 1:20.897
15. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:20.944
16. Nico Hulkenberg, Williams, 1:21.068
17. Anthony Davidson, Super Aguri, 1:21.076
18. Rubens Barrichello, Honda, 1:21.184
19. Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota, 1:21.699
20. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber, 1:22.875

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

20 things Ferrari learned in 2007.....
From Planet F1....



1. They don't need Michael Schumacher any more

2. They don't need Ross Brawn any more

3. They don't even need Jean Todt any more

4. They may not need Schumi in the team any more, but the Finnish branch of the Ferrari supporter's club doesn't sell nearly as much merchandise as the German branch,

5. It would be worth making Schumi an official tester just so that he could have his own current range of merchandise (and it would still outsell the other two combined).

6. Red lights at the end of the pitlane mean stop. Don't they Felipe.

7. Their car may be the best on the grid, but their e.mail system (as witnessed at the Japanese GP) is the worst.

8. Intermediates don't work very well in monsoons.

9. It IS possible to have a great season, win both championships without the use of team orders.

10. If a senior member of the team voices discontent and thoughts of moving to another team in the motorsport media, that's a bit of a clue... keep an eye on them.

11. Also, watch out for members of staff with suspicious white powder (that defies chemical analysis for great periods of time) in their pockets.

12. Instead of letting him have the car for free, they could actually make extra money by charging Michael Schumacher to test the F2007 - because he would undoubtedly pay up.

13. Kimi Raikkonen IS worth the money.

14. Felipe Massa may not be very articulate, but compared to Kimi he is Brazil's poet laureate.

15. Whoever designed the 2007 team strip was inspired by the Bella Italia pizza chain - "Scuderia Pizzaria, we deliver the fastest pizza."

16. It might have been worth holding off the deal to sign Felipe Massa for a couple more weeks - after all, who else was he going to go and sign for...?

17. It may be a decent investment to give Ferraris to all the photo-copying shop managers around the Woking area - just in case Stepneygate happens again.

18. Fernando Alonso just adores wheel-to-wheel action with Felipe Massa, especially at his home grand prix.

19. Luca Montezemolo loves a challenge and this year he almost beat Ron Dennis to 'F1's poorest loser'. However some things you just can't take away from Ron.

20. The championship isn't over till it's over.

 

[chris parker]

How can the supposed pinacle of motor sport have separate rules for one team and rules for the rest of the teams i wouldn't say i was a huge fan of maclaren but sport as i was tought was to be on an even playing field and not loaded agaist certain teams it has certainly dampend my spirit. any news on why no penalty yet

 

[David Morton]

Candc,
Firstly, you are making a big mistake calling F1 a sport and secondly, there is no level playing field and never will be. It's just another hard core business so put away the rose tinted spectacles. Become super cynical and everything F1 becomes much clearer.
Cheating, flouting rules and espionage between the teams ? It was ever thus.
Dave M

 

[SteveB]

Seems to me the 'Extraordinary' FIA meeting has produced a new extraordinary level of duplicity in the one rule for one and another for every one else stakes!

Steve

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

How can the supposed pinacle of motor sport have separate rules for one team and rules for the rest of the teams i wouldn't say i was a huge fan of maclaren but sport as i was tought was to be on an even playing field and not loaded agaist certain teams it has certainly dampend my spirit. any news on why no penalty yet

Here are the so called reasons. It seems you can rob a bank, get caught red handed with the loot, but because it can't be proved that you spent any, you get no penalty.

World Motor Sport Council