Thursday Talking Points

Locals complain after Renault testing

Local residents have complained about the loud noise of Renault’s recent straight-line testing near the Cambridgeshire village of Duxford (UK). Recently, the French team conducted two days of running, including on Wednesday this week, at the site of the Imperial War Museum.

The Cambridge News said a local councillor has arranged to meet with the venue’s boss to discuss noise concerns next week. “I have some sympathy with people about the noise,” said team manager Steve Nielsen.  “We have eight of these days a year and three of them have been done outside the UK already.”

Webber to contest 160km cycle race

F1 driver and outdoor fitness enthusiast Mark Webber is to contest a 160km cycle race this weekend. To feature some of Britain’s top cyclists, the Cycling Plus Sportives event will start and finish at 2010 grand prix venue Donington Park and wind around England’s Peak District. Australian Webber, 32, drives for Red Bull Racing.

Google may enter F1 as sponsor

Google looking at F1

The famous internet brand Google could soon be seen on the painted carbon bodywork of a formula one car. The company’s co-founder Larry Page, one of the world’s richest billionaires, was a guest of McLaren title sponsor Vodafone at last weekend’s Monaco grand prix.

Interestingly, the 36-year-old American is a friend of Sir Richard Branson, the British billionaire who has been considering ramping up his Virgin backing of the dominant Brawn team.

Page was married on Branson’s own Caribbean island, and the pair have also been linked in various business ventures. Brawn is not the only team interested in Google sponsorship, however; every major outfit on the grid is believed to have put out the feelers as to how serious Page’s interest is.

Toro Rosso’s Ascanelli in demand

Ascanelli in demand

Toro Rosso may be facing competition to keep its technical director Giorgio Ascanelli. The Italian has had an illustrious formula one career, initially as a race engineer with Ferrari, Benetton and McLaren, and famously behind some of Ayrton Senna’s most memorable grand prix wins for the latter team.

Now as a leading technical boss, he is in demand, receiving offers from many current teams including Ferrari, Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport claims. Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost commented: “We have a contract with Giorgio.”

Massa eyes F1 record at next GP

Massa has record in his sights

Felipe Massa could join an exclusive club of very illustrious talent if he manages to win next weekend’s Turkish grand prix. With the exception of the inaugural Istanbul event in 2005, the Brazilian driver has won every Turkish grand prix.

Only four other drivers in the history of formula one – Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Graham Hill and Michael Schumacher – have won four successive races at the same venue.

The dominance of the Brawn team and Jenson Button is likely to be a spanner in the works of Massa’s hopes, but Ferrari’s flagging form took a big step forward last weekend in Monaco.

And Massa, who won his first grand prix in Turkey in 2006, “loves” the Otodrom layout, also securing pole position in the last three years. “It is a fantastic track for me, a very pleasurable track for me to drive, like the big turn eight, very challenging,” he said. Only one driver in F1′s history has won five consecutive races at the same track: Ayrton Senna at Monaco (1989-1993).

Also in Turkey next weekend, drivers’ title leader Button could if he wins a sixth race in seven attempts snatch Schumacher’s record for the best ever start to a championship campaign. In 2002, German Schumacher won five of the first six races with his Ferrari, but finished second to David Coulthard at the seventh.

Glock admits fears for Toyota future

Glock worried

Timo Glock has acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the future in formula one of his employer Toyota. Prior to the start of the 2009 season, officials of the Cologne based outfit made clear the ultimatum that without a maiden win this year, Toyota’s future on the grid was dire.

Moreover, Toyota is currently among the hard-liners of the FOTA alliance, and until now has staunchly refused to accept any compromise that would result in a budget cap descending on the sport.

At the same time, speculation persists that Tokyo executives have already decided to quit F1 following November’s Abu Dhabi season finale. “Clearly this relates also to my own job, but I cannot influence the politics,” German Glock, 27, told the Cologne newspaper Express.

Worsening the situation even further, Toyota’s performance at Monaco last weekend was disastrous, despite the team’s strong start to the season, resulting in its current third position in the constructors’ championship. Glock said: “I am confident Monaco was a one-off because we had been really competitive in the previous races, so we know the car is pretty good.”

Indy GP revival prospects dwindle

No Indy deal

The prospect of Indianapolis returning to stage a United States grand prix in future dwindled yet further this week. Tony George, CEO of the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway that hosted the formula one race between 2000 and 2007, is on the verge of being ousted, American media reports claim.

George is credited with bringing F1 back to the US on a novel road course inside the fabled Indy 500 oval, and until recently was keen on penning a new race promotion deal with Bernie Ecclestone. Contrary to reports, the 49-year-old survived a board meeting on Tuesday, but in a media statement it was pointed out that the venue’s interests in the Indy Racing League series “deserves the most attention at this point”.

Some commentators had questioned the company’s finances amid the global recession and George’s investments in other areas, including the road course, press tower and other facilities that were built for F1.

Boss says Williams move not political

Parr: Not political

Team chief executive Adam Parr insists Williams’ decision to sign up for the 2010 world championship was not politically motivated. The move this week led to the former champions’ suspension from the formula one teams association FOTA, whose previously total unity has therefore been weakened.

At the same time, questions about Parr’s personal friendship with FIA president Max Mosley, also a former barrister, have been raised. “There is no agenda on the part of Williams,” he insisted to the Daily Telegraph.  “We are not trying to split the teams.  We are not even trying to dissuade them,” Parr said.

In a media statement on Wednesday, Williams said it broke ranks and signed up because it is a “racing team” that is “legally obliged” to compete next year and until 2012 due to an existing agreement with the sport’s ruling bodies.

Parr explained: “As a team we have a certain philosophy and this is an inevitable and necessary development.  It may well be that other teams have a different view.  I completely respect that. We feel there is a huge chance to resolve this and very much hope that all the existing teams, plus one or two new ones, will be on the grid with us next year,” he added.

More current teams set for FOTA split

Mosley: Small teams lower budget

Without a rapid solution to the teams’ FIA standoff, Force India and Brawn will be the next current teams to imminently sign up for the 2010 world championship. It is now believed that the crisis is indeed nearly over, after at a Heathrow meeting on Wednesday, the FOTA alliance apparently agreed a compromise that is likely to be accepted by Max Mosley.

But with Friday still looming as the deadline for next year’s entries, any further delays will result in Brawn and Force India – who like Williams see F1 as their core and only business – also breaking ranks and lodging the 2010 paperwork.

It is understood that, when Sir Frank Williams and team CEO Adam Parr were asked to leave the meeting room on Wednesday, Force India and Brawn did not join the other FOTA members in voting to expel the Grove based team.

As reported on Wednesday, however, the FOTA alliance is unlikely to fracture further, with Mercedes’ Norbert Haug and McLaren’s Martin Whitmarsh receiving much of the credit for the compromise that is now likely to speed towards a handshake deal.

The deal will involve a 100m euro budget cap next year, before Mosley’s 45m figure arrives in 2011.  As a sweetener for the teams, one more staff member per team – like Red Bull’s highly-paid Adrian Newey – can be excluded from the cap in addition to the drivers and boss.

FIA president Mosley told La Gazzetta dello Sport this week: “I am willing to compromise, but only if small and new teams can operate with much lower budgets and are not much slower than the others.”

The details of the technical compromises are still sketchy, but it is understood that component and informing sharing, and even the sanctioned use of whole customer cars in 2010, could be among them. Mosley added: “I am very optimistic about a solution.  The big and small teams have very different interests and we have to protect everyone.

“Will Ferrari enter by Friday?  I think so.  I am optimistic and confident.  Ferrari is very important for formula one, but formula one is very important for Ferrari as well,” he added.

Briatore could buy Renault team – reports

Briatore to buy Renault?

Flavio Briatore could buy Renault’s formula one team and continue to run it in 2010 and beyond, according to media reports. The reports, in Italy’s Autosprint and also carried by the Dutch publication Formule 1 Race Report, tie in with persistent rumours that the French carmaker is contemplating pulling out of the sport at the end of this season.

It is suggested that, amid the slump in new car sales, three seasons of average race results, the expiring contract of title sponsor ING, and the likely departure of Fernando Alonso, Renault – already threatening to quit over the Max Mosley rules dispute – is set to decide the time is right to step out.

The specialist magazine Autosprint said Renault, who currently also supply customer V8s to Red Bull Racing, may continue to supply engines. Romain Grosjean, Renault’s high profile reserve driver, is mentioned as a likely driver for a Briatore-branded entrant.