A.Wayne

All yours buddy .

A.Wayne

Thursday 6th September 2007

Danger : The information displayed and discussion on this F1 forum can be Harmful and dangerous to some , please check with a Medical professional before venturing Here......


http://planetf1.com/story/0,18954,3213_2712451,00.html

McLaren have issued a statement to deny that they broke FIA rules, in using a lightweight gearbox at the Hungarian Grand Prix without putting it through a crash test.

The statement reads: "McLaren would like to emphasise that we have acted in entirely openly, in good faith and in complete compliance with the FIA rules and we are confident that the stewards will come to the same finding.

"On Thursday of the Hungarian Grand Prix, McLaren voluntarily made the FIA aware that the team would be using a new reduced weight gearbox casing.

"Before qualifying the FIA asked McLaren to supply after the race weekend some documentation concerning the precise changes that had been made.

"This was supplied before the Turkish Grand Prix, but subsequently McLaren was advised by the FIA that in their opinion the revised gearbox needed to undergo a repeat crash test. As a result the team chose not to use the lightweight gearbox at the Turkish Grand Prix.

"On 30th August the McLaren lightweight gearbox passed both a push off test and an impact crash test without any problem under the supervision of the FIA. Consequently the team will use the lightweight gearbox at the Italian Grand Prix."

multi21

This just in, McLaren fined $50,000 for running the lightweight gearbox in Hungary without an FIA crashtest.

ltc

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/40030/

This afternoon the team issued the following statement, outlining its position: “McLaren would like to emphasize that we have acted in entirely openly, in good faith and in complete compliance with the FIA rules and we are confident that the stewards will come to the same finding

They certainly have been using this statement quite a bit this year.....

And now, a moment of silence as A. Wayne formulates the necessary response...

A.Wayne

Thursday, September 6th 2007, 16:10 GMT
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/62086

Danger : The information displayed and discussion on this F1 forum can be Harmful and dangerous to some , please check with a Medical professional before venturing Here......




Giancarlo Fisichella (Renault), Vitantonio Liuzzi (Toro Rosso), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), Jarno Trulli (Toyota), Mark Webber (Red Bull).

Q. Tonio, you have a new teammate; have things changed much within the team?

Vitantonio Liuzzi: For sure, the atmosphere is a bit different in the team. Before, it was quite heavy, now it's changed a bit, it is a bit of a fresh air. Unfortunately for Scott, but Sebastian, the last two races, he was really welcomed by the team and there was a different air inside. He is young, he has to gain experience, he has to learn with the team and I think there was a bit of a difference inside and I think everybody saw this from the outside.

Q. And in comparison, from a competition point of view?

VL: I don't think I have to say that everybody knows that obviously Scott had two years' experience. He was often giving me a hard and time, and Sebastian has to do kilometres for sure. He's really young and it was a bit easier to score points with the BMW and he's realised that. For sure, yes, he has a lot to do for next year. Nord are you paying attn, another low output driver, will Berger fire this one also

Q. What about yourself for next year, what are you hoping for?

VL: I'm working on next year, for sure. My aim is to stay in F1 because that's my target since I started racing and I want to show what I can do when I am in a competitive team, because unfortunately this year we had a lot of problems. But nothing is fixed.

I think at the moment we are a bit on stand-by for the driver market and we still have to wait two or three weeks to know what's going on, but I'm working hard on it and I hope I get a chance.

Q. And would you be happy to be a test driver?

VL: No, at the moment I'm focused just on (race) driving, because I think in the last two years we didn't have many chances to show what we can do because we were always in difficult conditions so I hope that for next year, if it happens, that I can stay in Formula One, if possible in a stronger situation, so I'm pushing hard to be a driver, one of the 22.

Q. Mark, you're still having reliability problems; you must be feeling very frustrated about this year.

Mark Webber: Well, yeah, of course, the whole team is getting frustrated with it but all we can do is keep trying to press on and learn from the errors that we've made. It's not as painful when you're in good points-scoring position because I've had plenty of those in the seasons gone by as well. In Turkey we were not quick enough anyway to get in the points, so that saved me the hard work of driving around for nothing.

Q. You have been qualifying well, very often in the top ten, you've outqualified your teammate.

MW: Yeah, I'm happy with how I've driven this year. That's been enjoyable to an extent but you can only drive round in that position for so long until you're not really enjoying it as much and your motivation suffers to keep pushing for P11, P10. It's so competitive.

Giancarlo, Jarno, Renault, Toyota, it's hard (for all of us) to get in the points. That's the way it is now, so there's only one thing you can do about it and that's make a quicker car and be consistent with yourself each weekend to try and get the best job possible.

If the car breaks, it's not my job - fortunately - to try and fix those problems and I think that we should finish off more strongly reliability-wise which wouldn't be hard. We did some tests here last week to try and simulate why my failure probably happened in Turkey and it didn't happen again, so that was that reason out of the window. We're getting more information.

Q. What about the changes to this circuit that the GPDA requested? Are you happy with them?

MW: Monza's always on the edge. We are travelling at high speeds here, no question about it. The first chicane's fine. The second chicane is... every time you go there... I didn't see the run-off until the second day because I was lucky enough to make the apex most times but I had a look on one of the in-laps after I finished a run, I actually drove across it and had a look, and the asphalt is not bad, because obviously we've seen that it arrests the car, plus it doesn't trip the car up on the gravel and things like that, which is one of our biggest worries for the second chicane, and Ascari.

If we spend any time, like we saw with Lewis in Nurburgring, not really in contact with the gravel, you lose a lot of the ability to arrest the car. Parabolica is also on the edge. If you have a failure there you can probably go in pretty hard.

That's Monza, it's very difficult for us to make progress here because the guys – meaning the FIA and the people here at Monza – have tried their best to slowly chip away with it but it's probably the most dangerous first lap that we do on the run to the second chicane here, it's probably one of the most dangerous if not the most dangerous first lap that we do in the season, if it's in dry conditions.

Q. Jarno, your feelings on the same subject?

Jarno Trulli: Well, I already expressed my feelings and I feel it's quite positive what Monza circuit has done. Obviously, as Mark says, we travel at very high speeds here, so it's obviously a little bit an unsafe circuit compared to the others, but this is due only to the speed, not because of the run-off areas. I think Monza has been working very hard every time and now we are definitely happier than last year.

Q. Now it's obviously your home Grand Prix; you've twice qualified fifth, raced to fourth in 2002. What are your feelings about your home Grand Prix?

JT: Well, I always loved Monza for the atmosphere as well as for the track. I have always been very competitive, so I hope to have another good weekend, I especially hope to bounce back in the points because at the moment I'm a little bit frustrated by the last few races.

Due to the circumstances I was unable to score points, so I'm really hungry for that, and I shall really go for it this weekend, because I believe we had a very positive test last week, the team is pushing really hard and is improving the car, step by step, so from now to the end of the season we really want to get it right.

Q. This may be an unfair resume, as it were, but the team always seems to test well, you seem to practise well, qualify not badly, and then it seems to slide in the race.

JT: As I say, I think recently we have been a little bit unlucky in general, because the midfield battle is very tight, as Mark says. You really need to get it right all the way through the weekend, because with a little difficulty, you might slip out of the top ten and not score points.

This is what happened in Hungary as well for me last weekend in Turkey when I had this problem at the start, so obviously when the gaps in the midfield are so tight, you really need to get everything completely right every time and you also need a bit of luck. This year, I must say, we have always been there, we have always been fighting but we didn't get advantage in certain circumstances where our rivals got the advantage and scored many points.

Q. Giancarlo, are we to expect an announcement regarding your future and the team's future this weekend?

Giancarlo Fisichella: Yes. Maybe this weekend, maybe next week. It's my target and my dream to be with the team for one more year. I expect confirmation again, obviously. Before the start of the season we were quite confident to fight for the championship but unfortunately it wasn't like that and it was a tough season. So I did my best and I'm looking forward to the confirmation again.

Q. Where do you think it's gone wrong for Renault this year?

GF: Well, maybe the changes from Michelin to Bridgestone and especially, I think in the wind tunnel; all the figures didn't work as we expected on the track, that was the main problem. Maybe the wind tunnel didn't work as we expected and we understood that problem very late in the season, so because the gap between us and especially Ferrari and McLaren is a little bit too big. The team stopped the development of the 2007 car and they are already concentrating on the 2008 car.

Q. Giancarlo, for this race, your best qualifying was third in 1997 – your first race here – and third in the race in 2005…

GF: Well, 1997 was a good race for me I was in the top three in the qualifying session and then fourth and it was my first year here with a competitive car. And two years ago was a great feeling getting on the podium in front of Italian people at my home Grand Prix and it was fantastic after Michele Alboreto 17 years ago on the podium.

It was a fantastic memory and a fantastic feeling. It would be nice to repeat again that experience but I think that realistically a podium is going to be really difficult. But looking forward to score lots of points first of all because I think the car with a low level of down-force works a little bit better and also I have a good feeling with the circuit.

Q. Kimi, obviously you are going to be racing in front of a Ferrari home crowd for the first time; what are you feelings about that?

Kimi Raikkonen: I think it is a bit more hectic this weekend because it is a home Grand Prix for the team but I don't think the racing side of things changes at all because we always try to do the best that we can and that's why we come here.

Q. Now you have set the fastest time in qualifying for the last time two years though you didn't necessarily start from pole and that must make you quite confident for this weekend?

KR: Yes, I like this circuit, but it's difficult to get the car right as you run on a low down-force and it is quite bumpy and you need to be able to drive over the kerbs… It is difficult to say where we are going to be, but hopefully we are going to be in a grid position to fight for a win.

Q. Felipe believes that you, Ferrari, are better than they appeared to be in testing last week?

KR: I don't know, really, because from testing it is always difficult to say – you can only guess what fuel the other teams have, but you only really know yourselves what you are doing. I was not 100 per cent happy with the car, but we found some reasons and hopefully we will have a better set up and we'll see where we are. I think we should be ok – probably not our strongest race, but it should still be pretty good.

Questions From The Floor

Q. (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) Kimi, from your perspective, how much influence and benefit has Michael Schumacher been to the team?

KR: It is difficult to say for sure, really, he has a lot of experience with the team and in Formula One, also, but I don't know actually how much he has done, because I don't really ask them who is doing what and who is responsible on which days… You have to ask from the team…

Q. (James Allen – ITV) Kimi, I am curious to know – there have been a few times this year, and it happened again in Turkey, you have made a mistake in qualifying at a critical moment and as you said the next day, it has gone on to cost you… What has happened in those situations?

KR: I just got it wrong, that's all. The tyres are a bit tricky when you really push as we were able to last year when they were good for more than one lap. I think they are more difficult now and if you push too much you can lose it. We are still looking to find the ideal set-up for qualifying, but for the race we usually have a very good car.

Unfortunately, qualifying is very important this year, so if you don't get it right it is very difficult to improve your position in the race. I think we have been looking into it and tried to change it a bit the way we do the qualifying and hopefully we can improve.

Q. (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Kimi, what are your feelings regarding the fresh evidence that has surfaced from the FIA with regard to the 'spy case' that is going to be heard next week?

KR: I don't know anything about that story. The feeling in the team is good and of course we would rather be in first place in both world championships, but there is a good atmosphere and it is a great team to work with. I don't think it affects our racing side at all but of course it is not nice to be asked all the time about it and it in the news all the time, but that is part of racing. In the team, we have a good atmosphere and feeling.

Q. (Dan Knutson – National Speed Sport News) I'd like to ask the three Italian drivers: it is many years since Ferrari had an Italian driver – why do you think the team does not like Italian drivers?

GF: We don't know. First of all, in the last few years, I was under contract with other teams, so… I don't know why. I had a chat sometimes with them, but it never became very close to drive to them.

VL: I am still only two years in Formula One and you don't know what will happen, so… you never know. Maybe, they prefer Finland for selling cars. I have no idea…

JT: Well, to be honest, no-one has ever said that Italian drivers are not well-accepted in Ferrari. It is just the case that in the recent era, with Schumacher, and I have always been contracted with other teams and I had no connection with them. But they have always been good to me. They always give me ice cream! So I am happy…

Q (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) Giancarlo, are Renault taking so long to make an announcement on their driver line-up because there is so much talk of a return to the team by Fernando Alonso?

GF: Yes, I think there is a lot of talk about that, but Fernando has a contract with McLaren and it is going to be difficult for him to get out of that contract and I don't know if it is the right choice, considering the package of McLaren and the package of Renault. At the moment, for Renault it is a big step… so I don't know.

Q. (Ian Parkes – The Press Association) How would you feel if Fernando did come back?

GF: I feel ok unless I cannot race for Renault next year. But if Fernando comes back and I can run with him, then it is just great.

Q. (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) Giancarlo and Kimi, going back to the spying thing, have either of you been asked by the FIA for any information given that you Giancarlo were Fernando's teammate and you Kimi were at McLaren?

GF: No.

multi21

Ron Dennis: Hello there chap. Just so there is no misunderstanding, I'd like to use this quote after the Italian Grand Prix and the spy hearing coming up on the 13th. Oh, yes, please include the quote for the appeal on the Hungarian GP constructor points as well. That should do it for now. When is Spa?

A.Wayne

Thursday, September 6th 2007, 17:14 GMT

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/62088

The stewards having received a report from the Race Director regarding the use a the Hungarian Grand Prix by Vodafone McLaren Mercedes (McLaren) of what they refer to as "lightweight gearbox" requested the presence today of Paddy Lowe (Engineering Director of McLaren) and David Ryan (Team Manager) and such other personnel as they considered appropriate to explain the position.

The facts as ascertained are that late in the afternoon of Thursday 2nd August Paddy Lowe disclosed to the Race Director as list of changes made to their vehicle, one of which was referred to as a "lightweight gearbox".

The matter was referred to the FIA F1 Technical Delegate for his consideration but a meeting between the parties did not take place until immediately prior to qualifying on Saturday 4th August.

Changes to both cars were shown to the Technical Delegate who marked the list produced by McLaren as confirmation that the changes had been brought to his attention. His action did not constitute approval to the changes and this fact is recognised by McLaren.

The Technical Delegate asked whether the changes to the gearbox had been subjected to a further crash test. He was advised that the changes were only to the gearbox and were not significant. The Technical Delegate asked that he be given details of the changes before the next race.

Both team cars took part in qualifying and the race using the lightweight gearboxes.

When further information was received on the evening of Friday of 17th August which detailed the tests carried out by McLaren on their lightweight gearboxes the FIA requested details of actual differences between the original gearbox and the lightweight version.

This information was finally received on the evening of Tuesday 21st August. It was the view of the FIA that the changes had been made to the original gearbox (which together with the original rear impact structure had been subjected to impact tests) were "significant".

2007 Formula One Technical Regulations Article 16/1/2 states that "any significant modification introduced into any of the structures tested shall require that part to pass a further test."

The FIA accordingly requested McLaren to carry out further tests as required by Article 16.1.1 in the presence of the FIA technical delegate.

Because of time constraints McLaren used the original (not the lightweight) gearboxes for the Turkish Grand Prix. The relevant tests were carried out and completed satisfactorily on Thursday 30th august.

The view of McLaren is that the modifications made to their original gearbox which resulted in that which is termed the lightweight gearbox were not significant within the meaning of Article 16.1.2 such as to require the component to be re-tested. They base this view upon what they regard as the excessive weight and strength of the original gearbox (which was designed to meet a greater crash test requirement than that which applies in 2007) and upon the results of their own computer modelling.

The view of the FIA is that the percentage in weight reduction (which it is accepted does not necessarily correlate to a reduction in strength) was of sufficient magnitude as to be regarded as "significant" therefore requiring an impact test before use.

Whilst the term "significant" contained within Article 16.1.2 is subjective and open to interpretation (as indicated by the different views adopted by McLaren and the FIA), what is beyond doubt is that by delaying the supply of information to the FIA (which could have been supplied on completion of the modification to the gearboxes during the week commencing Monday 16th July), McLaren deprived the FIA of the opportunity to consider the changes made and require impact testing to be carried out before use.

Had such information been imparted in due time the tests could have been satisfactorily completed prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix such that their use would have been without criticism.

Clearly the requirement to submit information which may result in a request of impact testing is important in the FIA's endeavours to ensure the continued safety of competitors. The Stewards feel that disclosure should be made in circumstances such as this and accordingly censure McLaren for choosing to rely on the results of their own computer modelling and denying the FIA the opportunity of requiring the results of an actual impact test before using the component concerned.

McLaren are accordingly ordered to pay a fine of US$50,000 (FIA International Sporting Code Article 155).

The view of the Stewards is that the components having been satisfactorily tested indicate that the cars complied with the technical configuration required when they raced in Hungary. Nothing in this decision is to be taken as condoning the practice of retrospective impact testing resulting in the use of untested components but in the particular circumstances of this case no further sanction will be applied.

A.Wayne

Burp

Kimi staggering his way to the press conference ::::::::::::::::::::::

A.Wayne

Honda's new Bi-plane double decker front wing ,,,,,,,,

A.Wayne

If only PCA had corner workers like this

A.Wayne

Ohh, Chit , Hamilton ________________________ Hey where's the telemetry

A.Wayne

Ahhh, those 2 girls still at it ......................................................

A.Wayne

http://www.formula1.com/news/intervi...07/9/6717.html


We caught up with the Brazilian at Monza to find out how he feels his career has progressed in that time - and to discover his aspirations for the Italian Grand Prix and the 2007 drivers’ title…

Q: Ferrari CEO Jean Todt recently said that for him the best time during a race weekend was the moment spent on the podium after a win. Is yours the same?
Felipe Massa: Yes, as long as it’s on the top step!

Q: Your victory at last season’s Turkish Grand Prix kicked off your career. What has been the most significant event since?
FM: I don’t know if it’s right to say the Turkish Grand Prix kicked off my career. More likely it was down to having for the first time a winning car in the shape of my Ferrari. Race after race last year I raised my game and I grew as a driver thanks to help from the team and also from Michael. In Istanbul, all the pieces fell into place and led to pole on Saturday and the win on Sunday. On top of that, the fact I knew that I would be racing for the Reds for at least another year was another plus point and one less thing to worry about. Interlagos was the scene of another very emotional moment, as winning in front of the Brazilian crowd was simply amazing. But it is always difficult to single out one moment as being better than the rest - the win in Bahrain after a week of politicking, the one in Spain or my second consecutive one in Turkey?

Q: The Hungarian Grand Prix was a big disappointment for you after the refueling error in qualifying. What did you do in the summer break to put that race behind you?
FM: There is no point in crying over spilt milk. The team understood that the mistake was made in qualifying and has since worked on it. I made the most of the break to recharge my batteries - President Montezemolo has set us an ambitious target and we have to give our all in order to succeed!

Q: After all that frustration, it must have made the win in Istanbul even sweeter. Did you expect to bounce back so strongly?
FM: We knew we would be competitive in Istanbul and events proved that to be the case. All the same, it was a very closely-contested weekend because our rivals are really strong, as indeed they will be for the rest of the season.

Q: With Michael fighting for the championship last year, you were clearly number two. Has it felt liberating this season to be equal and have your own run at the title? FM: At Ferrari, no one has a divine right to be number one, but the results can establish a pecking order. Last year, Michael was fighting for the title and of course, I added my support to give him the best possible chance to win. This year
Kimi (Raikkonen) and I started off as equals and, after 12 races, there is only one point between us. Therefore, for both of us, what matters most is whatever is in the best interests of Ferrari.

Q: After 12 races we have seen four drivers grabbing three wins apiece and all are now within 16 points in the title battle. Do you think you could still secure the championship for yourself?
FM: The championship is very tight, with mistakes and reliability making the difference. When it comes down to these parameters, McLaren and its drivers have done better than we have, but we can still turn it around as long as we don’t make any more mistakes.

Q: Having two winning drivers in a team can be either a blessing or a curse. Ferrari looks to be working well with their two winning drivers. How would you describe your relationship with Kimi?
FM: There is a great deal of respect between me and Kimi, both on and off the track. In terms of our character, we are different, as you would expect given our backgrounds, but our relationship is very professional and honest.

Q: Monza is always a special place for Ferrari. With your Turkish win as motivation, what are your expectations for the race?
FM: Yes, Monza is a special race for Ferrari. Racing in front of our fans and the employees of the Gestione Sportiva, who have their own grandstand, is an extra boost. And then, this is a track that is part of Formula One history with an extraordinary appeal. It would be good to get a second consecutive win after Istanbul and another one-two!

Flying Finn

8 minutes late and those 8 minutes are worth $5k.

A.Wayne

By Matt Beer Friday, September 7th 2007, 09:30 GMT

Ferrari began their home Grand Prix weekend in the ideal fashion by taking a one-two in the first free practice session at Monza.

Kimi Raikkonen moved to the top of the timing screens with his first flying lap halfway through the 90 minutes, and remained at the head of the field for the rest of the morning.

His 1:22.446 lap was 0.144 seconds faster than teammate Felipe Massa's best effort.

McLaren had a more difficult morning, although by the end of the session third-placed Lewis Hamilton was just 0.028 seconds slower than Massa.

The championship leader had led the way briefly before Raikkonen emerged, and managed to stay within two tenths of the Ferraris for most of practice, although his penultimate run was interrupted by a spin at the first chicane.

Fernando Alonso missed much of the session after reporting a misfire on his installation laps. He finally joined the action in the final half hour, but took several trips across the new run-off at the Roggia chicane and also had a spin at the same place.

After lapping seven tenths of a second off the pace initially, Alonso ultimately improved to within 0.394 seconds of Raikkonen with his last lap.

Williams' Nico Rosberg was the fastest driver outside the Ferrari/McLaren quartet once again, but was a second off the pace in fifth place.

Jenson Button showed good form for Honda as he completed the top six, with teammate Rubens Barrichello jumping to 12th late on having languished in the bottom three for much of the morning.

Giancarlo Fisichella took seventh for Renault, with the BMWs eighth and ninth ahead of early pacesetter Jarno Trulli's Toyota.

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:22.446 20
2. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:22.590 + 0.144 17
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:22.618 + 0.172 18
4. Alonso McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:22.840 + 0.394 12
5. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:23.472 + 1.026 21
6. Button Honda (B) 1:23.668 + 1.222 21
7. Fisichella Renault (B) 1:23.671 + 1.225 22
8. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:23.703 + 1.257 22
9. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:23.886 + 1.440 17
10. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:23.965 + 1.519 29
11. Kovalainen Renault (B) 1:24.076 + 1.630 21
12. Barrichello Honda (B) 1:24.564 + 2.118 19
13. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:24.587 + 2.141 15
14. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:24.595 + 2.149 22
15. R.Schumacher Toyota (B) 1:24.660 + 2.214 20
16. Wurz Williams-Toyota (B) 1:24.689 + 2.243 29
17. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:24.694 + 2.248 17
18. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:24.810 + 2.364 19
19. Sutil Spyker-Ferrari (B) 1:25.130 + 2.684 24
20. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:25.439 + 2.993 25
21. Yamamoto Spyker-Ferrari (B) 1:25.448 + 3.002 25
22. Liuzzi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:25.762 + 3.316 25