Report on Renault - Briatore, Ghosn and Piquet

Former Renault team boss Flavio Briatore has said on Thursday that he left the Renault team of his own accord as opposed to contradicting reports which claim the Italian was dismissed; the ex-Team Principal has commented that he did so in order to 'save the team'.

With Briatore and Executive Director of Engineering Pat Symonds now out of Formula One as Renault prepares for its 'Crashgate' scandal hearing with the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in Paris next Monday, Briatore claims that he departed the Enstone outfit for the good of the team.

"I was just trying to save the team," he told The Mirror. "It's my duty. That's the reason I've finished." With others, such as team owner Eddie Jordan, feeling that the exit is more of a confession, Renault now faces McLaren 2007-esque draconian punishments for the alleged race-fixing of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.


Ghosn waiting on all the facts

Renault SA chief executive Carlos Ghosn was reluctant to comment this week about the 'crash-gate' scandal whilst at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

So far, the affair has led to the ousting of the two leading chiefs of the French carmaker's Formula One team, and done untold damage to the image of the company. The next steps could be even more damaging, amid speculation of possible criminal recrimin! ations, lawsuits, and the wrath of next Monday's World Motor Sport Council.

Britain's Times newspaper reports that Ghosn was "visibly irritated" when quizzed on the topic by journalists in Frankfurt, telling them to "go and see (team president) Bernard Rey".

In the French sports newspaper L'Equipe, he elaborated slightly: "The only thing that I have asked is that no reactions are taken in the heat of the moment.

"I am putting in Bernard Rey my full confidence so that, once all the facts have been settled, we can make a clear reaction," Ghosn added.


Piquet vows to keep fighting Briatore

Nelson Piquet's famous father and namesake has vowed to contest the legal action mentioned by the Renault team in a recent official media statement.

Before the French carmaker's F1 team said it will not contest the so-called 'crash-gate' allegations, it was announced from Monza that "criminal proceedings" against Piquets Jnr and Snr had been initiated by Renault and Flavio Briatore for "the making of false allegations" and "blackmail".

From Brazil, former triple world champion Piquet Snr - who drove for Briatore in the team's Benetton guise in the early 90s - said: "I have the money in order to get the best lawyers.

"And about what does he (Briatore) actually want to complain? About the truth?" Piquet is quoted as saying by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

The magazine asked Piquet, 57, why he thought Briatore would take such a strong stance in the affair even in the face of such apparent wrongdoing.

"After a certain point people like Flavio get so much power that they believe they can walk on water.
Despite the clear evidence he actually assumed nothing could happen to him," the Brazilian added.

Piquet Snr also moved to clarify media headlines that suggested he had accused Fernando! Alonso of also being involved in the crash conspiracy.

"All I said was that an intelligent driver like Alonso would ask questions if his team told him to come in to pit after 12 laps from fifteenth on the grid.

"As a driver I would have suspected something, so I can imagine only with difficulty that Fernando didn't know anything," he added.


via GPUpdate, F1-Live, Image(C) Daylife

Massa to leave intensive care

Ferrari's Felipe Massa is to leave intensive care after taking his first steps since he fractured his skull in a crash at last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.

The champions said the Brazilian's condition was improving steadily in Budapest's AEK military hospital.

"The driver has had more exams carried out, confirming his continuing improvement," the team said. "Felipe speaks, can sit upright and was even able to take his first steps. Today he will leave intensive care."

Massa underwent emergency surgery on Saturday after being flown to the hospital in what doctors said was a life-threatening condition.

The 28-year-old was hit on the helmet during qualifying by a metal spring, the size of a Coke can and weighing almost a kilo, which fell off compatriot Rubens Barrichello's Brawn car and bounced down the track.

"From the clinical and radiological point of view everything is going extremely well," said Ferrari.

"Felipe will stay at the AEK! hospita l for the next few days, until he can be taken somewhere else."

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, who went to Massa's bedside on Monday when the Brazilian was under sedation, was flying back to Budapest to greet him.

Via: Yahoo! Sport

Harvick wants out at RCR

Kevin Harvick has told Richard Childress he would like to leave after this season, according to multiple sources. Harvick has one year remaining on his contract with RCR, but the Shell/Pennzoil sponsorship deal on the #29 Chvey ends at the end of this season, and Harvick is trying to move with it to Stewart-Haas. Tony Stewart has said his team is interested in running a third car in Sprint Cup in 2010. Childress is in a tough spot. He could hold Harvick to the contract and try to re-sign Shell/Pennzoil, but in a performance-based business, the Stewart-Haas option, undoubtedly, is more appealing to the gas and oil company. If Shell/Penzoil decides to leave, Childress has to find $15 million to $20 million in sponsorship to replace it -- a very difficult prospect in this economy. Harvick would also bring additional Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series capability to the organization, joining the JR Motorsports operation owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick. Kevin Harvick Inc. competes in both series.

Ferrari blends F1 with on-road models

Ferrari is using the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed to show the world how its road-going supercars have benefited from its Formula One programme.

It will run three models in a special event during the annual British extravaganza: The California, the Scuderia Spider 16M and the 599 GTB Fiorano with HGTE, a race-bred handling package recently given the thumbs up by former Ferrari race pilot Michael Schumacher.

But one car that won’t appear at Goodwood is the upcoming F450, which next year replaces the F430 in the Italian company’s line-up.

The F450 is doing the rounds near the Ferrari factory. It packs a new 4.5-litre V8 engine, said to deliver around 375kW, and a new rear diffuser.

As well as a larger engine and improved aerodynamics it’s likely the F450 will use a version of the Formula One-inspired KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) system, which recovers energy from braking and turns it into usable power.

Also, the F450 will benefit from a more exotic shape than other recent Ferraris. It will be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

The California is Ferrari’s first front-engined V8 and was designed to echo one of the greatest designs from the company’s history, the 250 GT California.

The new California is packed with the latest technology and include! s Ferrar i’s first dual-clutch seven-speed gearbox, a direct-injection 4.3-litre V8 engine with 340kW on tap, the latest F1-Trac traction control system, a new multi-link rear suspension, and a retractable folding hardtop.

The Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M is a special high-performance model launched to commemorate Ferrari’s 16th Formula One Constructors’ Title in 2008. Limited to an exclusive 499 examples worldwide, the Scuderia Spider 16M features the same ride and handling characteristics of the F430 Scuderia, but with some additional livery options and interior detailing.

The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano with its HGTE (Handling GT Evoluzione) package is designed to deliver a more dynamic performance.

HGTE includes a modified set-up with stiffer springs, rear anti-roll bar and new calibration settings for shock absorbers. The ride height has also been lowered to further improve body control, and the tyres use a special compound to boost grip.

The car’s electronics have also been upgraded for more prompt response to driver commands. The F1 gearbox’s shifts are now even faster in high-performance settings, while a new engine software strategy has improved accelerator response.

The package also includes styling touches that distinguish it from the standard production car, including a more aggressive front grille, specific 20-inch rims and abundant use of carbon-fibre trim in the cockpit.

Schumacher did about 20 laps of Ferrari’s test track, taking the 599 GTB to its limits during one of the factory’s Pilota Ferrari driving courses. These are organised for Ferrari owners and four levels of courses are available - Basic, Advanced, Evolution and Challenge, along with a special On Ice course and a dedicated one for those wishing to race in the one-make racing series, the Ferrari Challenge.

The courses have been run in Italy for over 15 years and recently have also been set up in the US, China and Japan.

via fiaf1.com, Image(C) daylife

Olivier Panis: F1 politics destroying a great season

Former Monaco Grand Prix winner Olivier Panis has described the prevailing political in-fighting in F1 in 2009 as 'a joke' â€" and one that is threatening to overshadow and spoil what is turning out on-track to be a classic season. This week has been dedicated to further crisis talks as the ongoing FIA-FOTA budget cap stalemate still shows no signs of reaching a satisfactory resolution that would ward off the menace of a manufacturer-spearheaded 'breakaway' series. Frenchman Panis â€" who finished a strong fifth outright in his second appearance in the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours alongside compatriots Nicolas Lapierre and Soheil Ayari at Oreca last weekend â€" argues that it is a sorry state indeed. “For me it's ridiculous,” the veteran of 158 grands prix told motorsport-magazin.com. “I am loving this season, because Brawn GP is doing a great job and some other drivers are standing on the podium â€" but the politics are a joke.” Those sentiments were echoed by fellow former grand prix-winner Riccardo Patrese, who suggests that whilst both sides are outwardly making a show of actively seeking a compromise, neither is actually making enough of an effort to avert a crisis that could conceivably change the face of the sport forever. “Everyone understands the risk of a disaster,” the Italian told German newspaper Die Welt, “but at the same time nobody is doing anything to prevent it.”

NASCAR Driver Jeremy Mayfield May Have Presented Lying, Unqualified Expert Witness in His Positive Drug Test Defense

There’s more trouble ahead for NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield, whose had a rough road in the sport since he criticized owner Ray Evernham, specifically his relationship with another Evernham Motorsports driver, Erin Crocker. (According to Answer This, they are engaged now.) Mayfield tested positive for methamphetamine during the Richmond race last month.

Mayfield’s issues worsened today when NASCAR accused Mayfield of falsifying the resume of an expert witness who defended Mayfield in court. The witness claimed Mayfield tested positive due to a combination of over-the-counter and prescription medications, inhalers, and breathing in the fumes from a fiery wreck at Talladega. NASCAR filed a motion in federal court claiming Dr. Harvey MacFenerstein misrepresented his credentials on a May 29 affidavit. NASCAR’s research shows MacFenerstein doesn’t have a medical degree and the certifications. He testified that NASCAR’s drug testing methods were flawed.

I hate to see Mayfield continue to fall, but I support NASCAR’s tough stance on drug use. There are 43 lives on the track and the lives of NASCAR officials and pit crews which need to be assured their working conditions are the safest possible. There is no room for drug users in NASCAR.

BMW not used KERS in Turkey

Nick Heidfeld confirmed that BMW-Sauber will not use KERS system in the Grand Prix of Turkey this weekend.

BMW was the most fierce supporter of the introduction of KERS in Formula 1, but this has not prevented German team to give up technology after the Grand Prix of Bahrain.

Initially, the Germans have said that Istanbul will bring an improved technology, but Nick Heidfeld has revealed Thursday that BMW will compete in Turkey without KERS.

"He decided to race here without KERS. Like Barcelona, we will focus on the new aerodynamic package and the next two races we will see in time if we use or not," he said in an interview with magazine Autosport.

BMW has had a difficult weekend in Monaco, both pilots are still remove the first part of qualifications. That is why, Heidfeld admits that the team needs a good result this weekend to return afloat.

"I think it is an important weekend for us, as and Barcelona. I said there that it is important to see that our new development work, and the same applies here. As we all know, there are no tests . We have data from wind tunnel, sometimes we have data from aerodynamic tests in a straight line, but can not be sure of anything until we see the time. It is important to see a step forward here and I am confident that we will see an improvement. As Usually, the question is how much the others will improve. But it will be a step forward for us and we will continue to work in other areas for the next races. "

"I expect Monaco to ! be the o nly exception. There is no excuse for that is not good to us so much tormented in Monaco, but still think it is a representative circuit for us. We should be better here I think the same goes for Toyota.