Singapore Grand Prix:Kubica Follows McLaren’s Lead
Many of you will have seen the McLaren-Mercedes video, released prior to this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix. If you haven’t, don’t worry, here it is:
Now it seems that BMW-Sauber driver Robert Kubica wants in on the action, as this picture shows:
Kubica's Singapore addition
Neal’s View: After years of being called bland and boring, it seems Formula One has regained it’s sense of humour. Long may it last!
Kubica Fed Up With BMW?
Kubica at Valencia
BMW-Sauber’s Polish driver, Robert Kubica, has admitted that he is frustrated with the Hinwil-based squad’s inability to challenge Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes at the top of the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships. Kubica is feeling disillusioned with his team’s lack of progress from their strong early-season form.
The Pole, fourteen points behind Lewis Hamilton in the race for Formula One’s top prize, the Drivers’ Championship, is considering his future with the team. Reports suggest that Kubica held clear-the-air talks with team boss Mario Theissen at the last Grand Prix, in Monza, but has not had his doubts removed in the run-up to this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.
“My view has not changed a lot. We did sit down but I think there was no top secret and no miracles in the talks. It was good to talk. But the situation was not really changed.
“Of course as a driver you always want the maximum, and you always want a better car and to be a bit quicker.
“Even if you win, you can always find things to improve and to get stronger. There is no secret that we did not develop as was predicted.
“Lately, we don’t have big steps forward in performance but still we are managing good results. If we hadn’t had the problem in Spa with the second pitstop most probably I would have finished three races in a row on the podium – even though there have been some strange circumstances.
“But still, maybe lap time wise we are not the strongest but reliability is very good and we are able to do strong results.”
Neal’s View: Many were surprised by BMW’s early decision to focus on their 2009 car, but Kubica should take heart from two areas. Firstly, there is an old adage cited around the paddock: to finish first, first you must finish. BMW’s reliability is second-to-none in 2008, and this bodes well for the future. Secondly, we just have to look at Honda and Toyota. It is possible to go from a quick car to an awful one in a short space of time (Isn’t that right Jenson?) But to get to the front of the grid takes time. BMW are almost there, and I would expect a stronger challenge next season.
Ferrari To Confirm Alonso At Monza? Or Is Alonso Off To BMW?
Renault's Fernando Alonso
Formula One fans will be waiting with baited breath ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. It is when Ferrari traditionally reveal their lineup for the following season. Fans of the sport are waiting to find out whether world champion Kimi Raikkonen will retire, making way for former double world champion Fernando Alonso.
Fernando Alonso insists he is not part of those plans.
The Spaniard has said that he does not expect the Finn to retire this year.
“Ferrari tend to confirm their drivers at Monza. I don’t think there is going to be a surprise.”
Alonso also revealed that he thought his Renault team was lacking half a second per lap, purely because of the weaker engine.
He also took the time to dismiss team boss Flavio Briatore’s claims that “at least two more podium finishes” will be coming from the final five grands prix of the season.
When asked how he feels about his teammate Nelson Piquet Jnr. being the only Renault driver standing on the podium this year, Alonso said:
“It is going to be really difficult to be on the podium in the rest of the year, but I do not see it as a failure.
“In comparison with my teammate, this has been my best season ever. I have always been in front of him. He got a podium after a great race and with lots of luck.”
Meanwhile, BMW-Sauber boss Mario Thiessen refused to deny growing speculation Alonso has signed a three-year contract to drive for the Hinwil-based squad from 2009.
The chequered flag had barely fallen at Spa-Francorchamps before it was reported that the Spaniard would replace German Nick Heidfeld.
Thiessen told German newspaper Bild:
“I do not take part in speculation.
“Our driver decision has been postponed. At the latest we will announce our drivers at the end of the season.”
BMW spokespeople were also not available for comment.
However, the Spanish sports newspaper Marca believes BMW-Sauber will confirm the Alonso signing on Monday, after this weekend’s Italian grand prix at Monza.
Neal’s View: Many thought he was Ferrari-bound, but the BMW rumours refuse to go away. I would rule out Honda, but it could be any of BMW-Sauber, Ferrari, or staying with Renault.
Williams Focusing on 2009’s FW31
One of the first Frank Williams F1 cars, the FW06
Williams-Toyota part-owner Frank Williams says his team will focus the majority of their efforts on their 2009 car after another disappointing performance at the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend.
The Grove-based team were tipped as one of the favourites to fight behind the top squads during pre-season testing, and they lived up to that when Nico Rosberg finished on the podium in the opening race in Australia.
Williams’s performances, however, have become worse as the season progressed, as non-privateer teams progress more rapidly than independents like Williams, and the team have scored just two points in the last seven races. They are currently tied with Toro Rosso-Ferrari in seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Williams said during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend that his team are not planning any more significant developments for the last five races of the 2008 calendar, and instead will focus on 2009.
“We recognise that we are right at the back of the grid effectively, too often though not every time. We recognise that this year’s car is almost as developed as we can successfully do it, short of a major revamp of all the aerodynamics and next year’s car [with the drastic rule changes for 2009] is the one where we pin our hopes.
“We’re not saying ‘watch out for our next race’ because it isn’t going to be like that. We just have to soldier on and get more out of what we’ve got.
“There are one or two little bits for the remaining races but essentially our main focus is on next year’s car because it is almost a fresh start for everybody with the aero rules. We started on that quite a long time ago and we will see how it works for us.”
Several new rules will come into play next season in order to improve the spectacle by reducing speeds and increasing overtaking, in a revamp that could see any team make a significant jump in performance.
Williams is confident his team will do a good job with the KERS system to be introduced next season, although he believes that building it themselves will not mean they will have an advantage over their rivals.
“It is not as though it will give us a particular advantage. We think, as most manufacturers, we will do a good job with KERS. Patrick [Head] has his own group in the company and we have been working on it for a number of months. It is much more affordable if you do it yourself providing you are successful with it.
“We are doing it because we have to do it. I imagine most people will come out with roughly similar horsepower.”
Neal’s View: The sweeping rule changes for 2009 meant that many teams switched focus to 2009 once they realised they were not going to be competitive in 2008. The 2009 cars will see an end to the evolutionary development (because of the rule changes) and any car could be winning races next season. Although the top three should still be at the front, there is no reason why Honda, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull, and even Williams cannot close the gap.
Belgian Grand Prix: BMW ‘Gamble’ Paid Off
Nick Heidfeld at Malaysian GP, 2008
BMW-Sauber motorsport director Mario Theissen has admitted that he thought Nick Heidfeld had left it too late to switch to wet tyres when he the gamble was taken in the closing stages of last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.
When the rain came towards the end it was torrential, leading teams to choose between staying out on the wrong tyres or pitting. The rain was so heavy at one point, ITV commentator James Allen reported a thirty-second difference in lap-times between cars on intermediate tyres, and those staying on the wrong, dry tyre.
Heidfeld pitted for intermediate tyres two laps from the end of the Spa-Francorchamps when a deluge swamped the track, and staged a dramatic last-lap climb through the field from seventh to grab what eventually became second.
Despite the result delivering another podium finish for BMW-Sauber, team principal Theissen confessed that his team was unsure at the time whether or not Heidfeld had done the right thing in coming in for the tyres.
“I thought it was too late already, but it was worth it to take the risk because it would have been two points only, so you can take some risk in this position. And it turned out to be the perfect move.
“I didn’t watch the TV screen on the last lap, just the positioning screen as he overtook one car after another.”
Theissen said that the decision to change tyres was left entirely up to Heidfeld and his race engineer.
“You need two guys. You need the driver who has to tell what he is feeling and what he thinks is better, and in the end he has to decide.
“But then the race engineer has an overview of what the others do, how much they are struggling and only the race engineer can then judge whether it is possible to make up for 25 seconds in two laps.”
Neal’s View: It was a hard decision to be made, but that is why these people are lucratively paid. Had the rain come a lap earlier, everyone would have had to pit; a lap later no one would have. It is these spur-of-the-moment tactical decisions that make Formula One great!
Kubica Has More Harsh Words For BMW
Kubica at Valencia
After an disappointing Belgian grand prix, BMW-Sauber driver Robert Kubica continued to voice his discontent as the Formula One circus makes the short dash to Monza this week.
The Pole struggled to capture the same attention as his BMW-Sauber teammate Nick Heidfeld at Spa-Francorchamps, and on Friday we reported that he used “harsh words” upon discovering incorrect settings on his car.
“The team has helped Nick a lot.”
Kubica has won just 12 points from the last 5 grands prix, and while he finished sixth at Spa-Francorchamps, under-pressure teammate Heidfeld was on the podium.
“I hope that they will start to work a little for me, because these last four races, I think we have been asleep.”
Neal’s View: The BMW car has not been keeping up with the pace of the McLarens and the Ferraris, and is being caught by the midfield pack. The pressures on the drivers, especially Heidfeld (who could be out of a job at the end of the season), are mounting.
Paddock Gossip
As the 2008 Formula One season heads towards an exciting climax, speculation increases around those seats yet to be confirmed for 2009.
Toro Rosso driver Sebastian Bourdais has put in some strong performances recently, notably at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend. Yet some Italian tabloids report that this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza could be his last, with the Faenza-based squad trying out Takuma Sato, Sebastien Buemi, and Bruno Senna for the last four Grands Prix.
Over at Renault, Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jnr. also finds his seat under threat. Swiss reports suggest that test driver Lucas di Grassi is set to test on all three days at the upcoming Jerez test. An evaluation ahead of 2009?
With recent reports suggesting Nick Heidfeld could lose his BMW-Sauber seat to Fernando Alonso next year, rumours in the paddock are linking the German with Alonso’s Renault seat.
Alonso Signs Shock 3-Year BMW Deal Whilst Honda Wait
Fernando Alonso
Paddock gossip at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix revolved around Renault driver Fernando Alonso’s future.
Italian broadcaster Sky reported that the Spaniard had signed a three-year deal with Hinwil-based squad, BMW-Sauber.
However, Alonso remained tight-lipped about his future, revealing:
“For weeks I have said I will only consider my future at the end of September. My priority at the moment is to help Renault to fourth place in the constructors’ championship.”
At the same time, Honda team chief Ross Brawn has revealed that his Brackley-based squad are still trying to tempt Alonso to the Japanese marque.
“We are just waiting.
“My view is that he’s the best driver in Formula 1 at the moment and we’re happy to wait and hope that he makes a positive decision for us.
“The reason I think he’s the best driver in Formula 1 is balance of experience and ability.
“To me there are three very quick drivers [Hamilton, Raikkonen, Alonso] who have established themselves so far in Formula 1.”
Neal’s View: Alonso has been suspected to have a Ferrari deal in place for 2010. Raikkonen looked interested in the sport at Spa-Francorchamps, so maybe he is not ready to retire yet. If he has signed for BMW-Sauber, then this cannot be the case. Honda will not confirm Rubens Barrichello until they know that Alonso is not available. If Alonso wants a one-year deal before joining Ferrari in 2010, Honda is his only option.
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