Formula One News — June 2006

Cost-cutting has been mumbled endlessly in recent months by the people who are trying to cut costs in Formula 1.

Flexible wings have been the talk of the Formula 1 paddock this year with a solution apparently found in Malaysia and then a different route used by the teams involved. Now it seems the FIA is going to make sure that flexible (and indeed inflatable) rear wings cannot be used to gain an advantage.

A legal case arising from last year's United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis has been dismissed by a US court and, although the claimants have 30 days to appeal the decision, there seems little chance of that being successful.

Renault wants to cash in on its recent successes and sign a second team for 2007. The company has plenty of capacity at its engine headquarters at Viry-Chatillon and a deal makes sense from a financial point of view - if the team can find a customer.

Tom Rubython and Business F1 magazine are facing yet another legal battle, with the next case asking for libel damages of more than $550,000.

The re-signing of Giancarlo Fisichella means that, in theory at least, one fewer of the top seats in F1 will be available next year. One cannot assume that the second Renault seat is in the hands of Heikki Kovalainen.

The Renault F1 team has announced that Giancarlo Fisichella will be staying with the team in 2007, an interesting move in the F1 driver market.

The disappointing performance of Honda F1 this year has led to a slight change of emphasis in the engineering team with technical director Geoff Willis now planning to attend fewer races.

There are times when Internet sites get a little desperate for news and start creating stories that fill an empty space. One such story is the suggestion that Giancarlo Fisichella knows that his team mate next year will be Finnish. If true, this is impressive because Fisichella is not even sure which team will be employing him.

Formula 1 is supposed to become a non-tobacco environment at the end of this year, bringing to a close a relationship between F1 and Big Tobacco that dates back to the late 1960s. It has been a very successful symbiotic relationship with tobacco companies getting the coverage they need and the race teams using the money available.

There are reports in the United States that Indy Racing League star Dan Wheldon might give up on his dreams of becoming a Formula 1 driver in the future and drive for Chip Ganassi in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series in 2007.

Kimi Raikkonen has signed a deal with Ferrari for 2007 and beyond - it is hard to find anyone in F1 who does not believe that this is the case. However Michael Schumacher has not yet finished his F1 career and so this has confused matters somewhat as it is hard to imagine the two men racing together at Ferrari.

Real Madrid is a sports club - famous around the world for its soccer team - but also involved in basketball and other activities. The soccer team has been hugely successful but has failed to win a major title since 2003 and there has been a string of different managers.

Paolo Martinelli is the man in charge of all things related to engines at Ferrari and so it would not be that odd to see him at the Red Bull Energy Station at Silverstone. The interesting thing, however, was that Martinelli was not having meetings with Adrian Newey or Christian Horner but rather with the boss of Scuderia Toro Rosso

There is a reaction going on over in the United States to the fact that Sebastien Bourdais has been completely dominant in Champ Car racing this year. The Champ Car fraternity was stunned the other day when it was announced that AJ Allmendinger was leaving the Rusport team.

There are reports in Germany that Michael Schumacher will be staying at Ferrari for two more years. These could easily be true but the one thing that makes them suspect is that there is no need for any delay to be made if a deal has been struck.

In Spain eminent men are given the courtesy title of Don and for Fernando Alonso such a title would be doubly apt as he lives in Oxford, a seat of great learning where the academic dons deliver their lectures.

It has been expected for some time but the talking campaign has now started to get Marco Andretti across to Europe in the hope that he will be become the first third generation driver to make it in Formula 1.

British GP - Race Notes

British GP - Sunday Photos

The two GP2 races at Silverstone turned out to be Lewis Hamilton benefit events with two very classy performances from the rising British star.

British GP - Sunday Press Conference

British GP - Sunday Team Quotes

The word in the paddock at Silverstone is that Juan Pablo Montoya has been told by McLaren that his services will not be required in 2007.

British GP - Race Incidents