Formula One News — May 2009

Nico Rosberg set the fastest time of the Friday afternoon session in Monaco - and then disappeared off up an escape road while trying to go even faster.

The President of the Conseil General of the Yvelines departement Pierre Bedier agreed some months ago to bankroll the construction of the new French Grand Prix circuit at Flins. It was a good plan.

Monaco GP - Thursday Photos

Monaco GP - Thursday Press Conference

Monaco GP - Thursday Team Quotes

Monaco GP - Practice 2 Results

Brawn GP team has confirmed that it will continue to support the career of Formula Renault driver Will Stevens. The 17-year-old Englishman was previously supported by Honda Racing F1.

Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa topped the timesheets at the end of the first practice in Monaco, the pair beating the McLarens of Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton. Kazuki Nakajima and Nico Rosberg were sixth and seventh with World Championship leader Jenson Button eighth, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber and Sebastien Buemi.

Monaco GP - Practice 1 Results

Monaco GP - Wednesday Press Conference

Several new organisations are now rumoured to be trying to get F1 entries, but once again there is little evidence to suggest that any of them have the money to compete. It is obvioulsy in the interest of some in F1 to make these seem as serious as possible, in order order to try to offset the impending disaster of a Ferrari withdrawal - and the possible disappearance of other teams.

Ron Dennis, the chairman of McLaren Automotive, has announced plans to build a new factory for the planned McLaren high-performance, high-technology sports cars. This will be located adjacent to the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, and will be known as the McLaren Production Centre (MPC).

Ferrari has failed in its attempt to get an injunction to stop the FIA going ahead with its 2010 plans. Ferrari says that "the existence and validity of Ferrari™s right of veto, as sanctioned in a written agreement with the FIA Senate, were recognized by the Court, as was the fact that this dispute is of a contractual nature.

The FIA President Max Mosley has made much of the need to keep costs down in Formula 1 in order to allow new teams to enter the sport. His reason for this is that the car manufacturers will not make a commitment to the sport for the longer term because they believe that the teams should get a larger share of the revenues that the sport generates.

Anthony Ernest "Tony" Marsh has died at the age of 77. He had the good fortune to be born into the family that controlled the Marsh & Baxter company, famous for its pork pies and sausages. He grew up in luxurious circumstances in Dunsley Hall, near Stourbridge, and he began competing in his early twenties, having acquired a Cooper-JAP, which has been raced by Peter Collins.

The word from Japan is that the Toyota Motor Company is about to announce a massive restructuring, following the loss of $7.7bn in the first quarter of the year. It is said that 40% of the senior management of the company will be dropped when new chief executive Akio Toyoda takes control on June 1.

The meeting between the Formula 1 teams and the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone failed to reach any agreement on Friday. Things were not helped by the fact that FOTA chairman Luca di Montezemolo was not present because of the death of his father.

The Mayor of Rome Gianni Alemanno wants to stage a Formula 1 race in the streets of the Esposizione Universale Roma (EUR) district of the city. This area was developed from 1935 onwards by Benito Mussolini to celebrate twenty years of Fascist rule in 1942 with an international Expo.

As the Formula 1 world looks to a meeting tomorrow to try to solve its problems, there are more and more people coming out of the woodwork and saying that they will be entering the World Championship next year.

Jenson Button has been the dominant force in Formula 1 this year but in August he will be taking part in a race that he has no chance of winning. The Briton will take part in the London Triathlon on Saturday 1 August.

Ferrari says that it has received "numerous messages from its fans from all over the world" in support of its decision not to enter the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in 2010.

The Renault Formula 1 team and parent company Renault issued the following statement on Wednesday:

The French newspaper Le Figaro is reporting that Renault will soon come out in support of Ferrari, Toyota and the Red Bulls teams in saying that they will not enter the 2010 World Championship unless the FIA changes its regulations.

As the F1 world heads for another political showdown, it is encouraging to report that elsewhere in the sport, people are looking for ways to build for the future.

The dispute over the Formula 1 budget cap has turned into a full blown crisis, with Ferrari announcing today that it will not enter the Formula 1 World Championship in 2010 unless the budget cap is revoked.