Formula One News — August 2009

European GP - Practice 1 Results

Red Bull Racing has announced that it has extended its contract with Sebastian Vettel until the end of 2011, with an option for 2012.

Ari Vatanen has told the presidents of the FIA clubs that the organisation needs more transparency.

European GP - Thursday Press Conference

The word on the street in Formula 1 circles is that the FIA will shortly announce two teams to be added to the 2010 entry list.

Renault F1 has announced that Swiss-French driver Romain Grosjean has been appointed as its second driver for this weekend™s European Grand Prix in Valencia and for the remainder of the 2009 season.

The International Court of Appeal has overturned the decision of the FIA Stewards in Hungary, replacing a one-race ban with a fine of $50,000. In Formula 1 terms this is nothing at all.

According to reports in Italy's Corriere dello Sport, Felipe Massa may return to the Formula 1 cockpit at the Italian GP at Monza, if his recuperation goes well. This would be seven weeks after the accident in Budapest.

Jean Todt has been talking about about his campaign to be FIA President.

Ari Vatanen has announced the three members of his cabinet who support him in his candidacy for the presidential elections of the FIA, the F©d©ration Internationale de l™Automobile, due to take place on October 23.

Franck Montagny is one of those drivers who never got a proper chance in Formula 1. His CV was good enough. He grew up in a small town near St Etienne, watching local hero Alain Prost winning in F1.

The Toyota Motor Company is losing a lot of money at the moment as a result of the economic downturn. The company has a new boss in Akio Toyoda. He is instituting a relentless cost-cutting plan to try to get the company back into profit.

Michael Schumacher has concluded that his neck is not up to racing in Formula 1.

Johnny Herbert is expected to be named as the new driver of the Team Dynamics Honda Civic in the British Touring Car Championship.

Scuderia Toro Rosso has done a deal with Sebastien Bourdais to avoid legal action with the French racer. It is believed that the team has agreed to pay him his salary plus damages reported to be for $2.1m.

One of the enduring rumours of recent months has been that Fernando Alonso will move to Ferrari next year with sponsorship coming from the Spanish financial services company Grupo Santander.

Jean Todt is proposing that each FIA World Championship should have its own commissioner, responsible for the federation's day-to-day management and governance of the championship.

The plans for the new McLaren Production Centre have been cleared by the Planning Committee of Woking Borough Council.

The F1 Rocks concept has been launched by Formula One Management and Universal Music Group with the first big event being in Singapore. LG, F1's official timing sponsor, is sponsoring the event, which will take place in Singapore's Fort Canning Park.

The America's Cup is moving to the Middle East. The venue chosen is the little known emirate of Ras al-Khaimah, one of the United Arab Emirates.

BMW has reported a 76% decline in second-quarter profit as a result of the recession. The company reported that Q2 revenues dropped 11% but profits were down to $174m, compared to four times that figure a year earlier.

Nelson Piquet has confirmed his departure from the Renault F1 team, but he has not gone quietly... Team boss Flavio Briatore has come under considerable fire.

Felipe Massa has gone home to Brazil, nine days after the accident in qualifying in Hungary left him in hospital.

Williams F1 says that it will not agree to let Michael Schumacher test a current Ferrari before his return to Grand Prix racing in Valencia.

There has been a rather odd story knocking about in recent days regarding a Serbian engineering company which says it is making a complaint to the European Union after its bid for an F1 entry was rejected by the FIA.