Formula One News — April 2008

Carlos Gracia, the boss of the Real Federacion Espanola de Automoviliso, told the Associated Press that he is "delighted that Max is not here.

Max Mosley went to Jordan for the first World Rally Championship event in the Middle East and given his support in the region it was no surprise, although it was judged rather odd that he was not in Barcelona, where the FIA launched its EveryRace anti-racism campaign.

Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest lap of the afternoon session on Friday afternoon but was only just ahead of the Renaults of Nelson Piquet and Fernando Alonso.

Spanish GP - Friday Photos

Spanish GP - Friday Press Conference

Spanish GP - Friday Team Quotes

Spanish GP - Practice 2 Results

There is some debate about whether or not Rubens Barrichello will beat Riccardo Patrese's record of the number of Grand Prix starts this weekend in Spain, because no-one can agree on how many races the Brazilian has taken part in.

Spanish GP - Practice 1 Results

The Super Aguri F1 team will be able to compete in this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, but the future of the team remains in the balance, following the collapse of negotiations between the parties involved in buying the team.

Spanish GP - Thursday Press Conference

The FIA has launched its planned anti-racism campaign, called the EveryRace campaign. The aim is to send a message that discrimination and prejudice can have no place in sport or in society.

The word in the Formula 1 paddock in Barcelona is that things are coming to a head over the future of the Super Aguri F1 team. Magma International now seems to have reached the end of the road with the Dubai Investment Corporation (DIC) and is looking for an alternative arrangement.

The American racing media is getting excited about the possibility that Rubens Barrichello may move to Andretti Green Racing in 2009, and that his place at Honda Racing F1 would be handed over to Marco Andretti.

Honda Racing F1's chief mechanic Alastair Gibson left the team a few weeks ago, his aim being to pursue a career in the art world, creating carbonfibre sculptures. He will be displaying his most recent works, called Racing Brown and Racing Piranha, with the Russell Gallery at the Chelsea Art Fair this week in London.

Fernando Alonso has not been very competitive this year in his Renault and the Spaniard is already beginning to speculate about the future. He says that his goal is to get back to a winning car and he told the El Pais newspaper in Spain that there are several teams who could offer him that opportunity, naming Ferrari, BMW, Williams and Toyota.

The Super Aguri F1 team has sent its cars to Spain and the race team is flying out later today. There is expected to be a decision about the team's involvement in the event by the morning, but all the signs are that the cars will race, if only to give the negotiations the chance to continue.

Scott Speed disappeared from Formula 1 last year, disaffected with Scuderia Toro Rosso and keen to rebuild his career in the United States of America. Red Bull stuck by the 25-year-old Californian racer and this year he has been racing in the ARCA Re/Max Series.

The Formula 1 world has been paying very little attention in recent weeks to its normal goings-on, with FIA President Max Mosley hogging the limelight. However, we are hearing disquieting stories from Northamptonshire, where the British Grand Prix is facing a troubled future.

The Champ Car World Series came to a close on Sunday with Will Power scoring a dominant victory on the streets of Long Beach. The event was the last hurrah for the series, which dates back to 1979, and next week the teams that are switching into the Indy Racing League will be in action with the IRL regulars in Kansas.

FIA President Max Mosley says he wants to finish his term of office and will then stand down voluntarily in October 2009. Mosley told the Sunday Telegraph that the scandal which has engulfed him, the FIA and the whole sport, has had no effect on his ability to run the federation.

It has taken a while to get there, but Danica Patrick finally won an Indycar race with victory in the rain-delayed Indy Japan 300 at Motegi, taking the chequered flag nearly six seconds ahead of Penske's Helio Castroneves.

Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber has condemned the Mosley Scandal. "The current scandal has brought the sport into disrepute," Webber told the BBC. "Whether we like it or not, all of us in Formula 1 are role models and F1 simply cannot have scandals of this type. He is in a very influential position and it's a very important role that he has. It makes it difficult when any of these sort of scandals are involved, when they become public. It will be more challenging for him to do his role."

There are rumours suggesting that Super Aguri F1 may be in danger as a result of a decision by the backers of Magma International not to push ahead with the deal that was close to being signed.

There are clear signs emerging that FIA President Max Mosley is not intending to disappear gracefully at the FIA General Assembly in June, despite the fact that clubs which represent more than 60% of the FIA membership have either requested or demanded his resignation.