Schumacher’s comeback test

Michael Schumacher © www.sutton-images.com

There’s a lot of noise at the moment following a report in Britain’s The Mirror newspaper, claiming that Michael Schumacher is on the verge of conducting a test in a GP2 car in Abu Dhabi, as part of his preparations for an incredible return to Formula 1 in 2010 with Mercedes.

The article was written by Byron Young, all round epic bloke and bloody good journo, and given how far ahead of the game he’s been on this whole Schuey comeback thing, you’ve got to take this story seriously because his sources thus far have been utterly impeccable.

With recent quotes from Ferrari’s Luca di Montezemolo stating that Schumacher had told him there is a “very, very, very strong possibility” of him coming back to F1 with Merc next year, it seems that the German’s presence in the sport in 2010 is all but a formality… or is it?

Let’s not forget that it was only a matter of months ago that we were last talking about a Schumacher comeback; one which, ultimately, was curtailed by injuries the German had sustained in a bike racing accident. The basal skull fracture he picked up meant that his vision became impaired whenever he went over a bump in his test at the wheel of a Ferrari F2007. And when you consider that at racing speeds an intolerance of a few millimetres in the road surface will feel like a speedbump, his entire F1 test must have been one blurred nightmare.

His need to test before agreeing on the Merc contract, therefore, must be for safety and medical reasons for if his injuries have not healed to the extent that both he and his manager Willi Weber hope and believe, this comeback ‘aint going anywhere.

But is he going to be testing a GP2 car? To be honest, it is not as simple as it might at first seem.

GP2 regulations are quite clear in regard to testing. Teams may only run their cars in group test sessions, and the next one of those isn’t until March, one month after F1 testing resumes. What about the old cars, then? Well they’re also a no go. The 2005-2007 iteration of the GP2 car is now the GP2 Asia car, and as such is subject to the same testing regulation. The next GP2 Asia race is in February…again, after F1 testing resumes.

All of which leaves one option… a special, one off test, organised by the GP2 organisation itself for Schumacher to drive the GP2 development car. Interestingly, Schumacher would be following in the footsteps of one of his oldest rivals, as GP2 organisers placed 1996 F1 World Champion Damon Hill in the original GP2 development car back in 2005.

Damon Hill tests GP2 © www.sutton-images.com

Of course, I am sure that the guys over in Abu Dhabi would love to have Schumacher test out there, but the logistics don’t quite stack up for me. To my mind, putting Schumacher into the GP2/08 development car at Circuit Paul Ricard is by far the most sensible and achievable option. The car is probably the closest to F1 speeds available at such short notice, and I can’t see GP2 organisers turning down the opportunity of putting Schumacher into the car. The PR potential is staggering. The car is kept at the Oreca base around the corner and could be ready to run by this afternoon if required. Plus, at Ricard it is possible to alter the track to replicate different types of circuit – low downforce runs with long straights, high downforce runs with multiple corners and fast changes of direction… if Schumacher wants to test out the strength of his neck on differing tracks, there’s nowhere better in the world than Ricard.

Michael’s own people told me that they have “given up commenting on rumours” and a spokesperson for GP2 said that the current story was “a really nice rumour.” Nobody’s saying no, which suggests to me that talks are happening.

This Schumacher comeback really is on, then. The wheels are in motion. That said, just as his mid-season comeback was ultimately curtailed by ill health, so might his full time 2010 return. Personally, I really do hope that his injuries have healed and that this GP2 test,if indeed it happens, simply confirms rather than concludes this incredible story.

Wirth rejects “laughable” Brawn sob story

Nick Wirth © www.sutton-images.com

There have been a few internet reports today which have included some words attributed to Virgin Racing’s tech chief Nick Wirth laying into Williams boss Patrick Head at yesterday’s Virgin team launch. Well you’ll be pleased to hear that he didn’t just have a go at poor old Patrick… oh no. He also took time to have a pop at recently crowned 2009 F1 constructors’ champions BrawnGP.

On a day in which Sir Richard Branson had referred to BrawnGP’s 2009 season, in which his Virgin brand logos appeared on the BGP001 cars, as “David versus Goliath,” Wirth could not help but chuckle when I asked if Branson was expecting the same sort of giant killing form from Wirth’s car in 2010.

“I’m laughing because that’s one of the things I find most annoying about last season because it was Goliath versus Goliath. That was the car that had more money and more resources spent on it than any other 2009 car, possibly [more than any F1 car] in history, so it’s an absolute PR coup for them and it’s laughable. They might want to perceive it that way, and believe me they did a magnificent job in surviving and all the stress they went through, and all credit to those guys and Ross and the whole crew, but it was not a David against Goliath story.”

Wirth’s comments reflect opinions voiced during the 2009 season itself by former Honda and early BrawnGP reserve driver Alex Wurz.

“The car was taken in three different directions in the wind tunnel,” he said earlier this year. “Two directions were found to be wrong, so the team could just switch. The Brawn is probably the most expensive car with the lowest operating budget ever.”

The BGP001, which would have been the Honda RA109, benefitted greatly from 18 months of design work undertaken at Leafiled by the Super Aguri F1 Team which had begun in 2007, a year of design work at Honda in Brackley and Tochigi during 2008, and, it is understood, additional work at the Dome base in Maibara, Japan. The double decker diffuser concept, which would prove so pivotal to the success of the BGP001, is believed to have come from either Super Aguri or Dome. At times it has been claimed that anywhere between four and six wind tunnels were in operation, through the various different arms of the development chain, at one time.

Such benefits will not be afforded to Wirth’s Virgin racing car in 2010, which will be the only car on the grid next season designed solely by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and without the use of a single wind tunnel.

Virgin Racing to launch Driver Academy

The Virgin Racing 2010 Line-up © Virgin Racing

For me, one of the most interesting things to come out of today’s Virgin Racing launch in London was an admission from some of the team’s leading managers that it was their intention to create an Academy to nurture driver talent for the future.

“We’re hoping to have some kind of Academy that Marc Hynes will be directly responsible for,” Sporting Director John Booth admitted when I quizzed him on the subject. “It probably won’t happen next year [2010] but that’s our direct aim: to develop our own drivers for the future.”

Hynes, who won the British Formula Renault and F3 title with Booth’s Manor squad, has been a driver coach for the Yorkshireman’s outfits for some years and Booth indicated that, while it has yet to be finalised, there is a plan in place for the Virgin brand to extend its reach to the Manor GP3 squad.

Virgin Racing’s new Team Principal Alex Tai confirmed the plans for the racing academy.

“We have got plans to do that,” he replied when I put the question to him and Sir Richard Branson. “We don’t want to announce them now, [as] there’s [already] a shelf load of information that’s being thrown out there. We want to make the sport more accessible and we don’t want to just make it accessible as a sport, as a participant sport, for people who are rich kids. That’s not a democratisation of the sport. We’re looking at ways now to try and open up that to give the ability for drivers from all backgrounds, and from all sexes and from all countries, to be able to access the sport, we want to be able to provide that opportunity. Now this is something that every new team says when they come in to the sport, so before we start talking definitively how we’re going to do it, we’re going to pressure test the system and make sure it works and then we’ll come out with these plans. But this is a young driver academy for both sexes and for all economic backgrounds.”

With Booth seemingly under the impression that the Virgin brand could extend its reach to his new-for-2010 GP3 Manor team, and with Virgin Racing’s testers Alvaro Parente and Luis Razia both admitting today that they were hoping to compete in the 2010 GP2 Series with some form of backing from Virgin, this could be the “pressure test” of which Tai spoke.

It is also worth mentioning that with Durango recently revealed to be out of the 2010 GP2 Series, there will be at least one team slot in GP2 up for grabs for the 2011-2013 championship, which could yet be completed by a Manor/Virgin team if its GP3 plans and link to its 2010 testers pays off. With the Virgin Racing Academy due to come into being in 2011, the timing could be perfect.

A Big Week in F1

Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli © www.sutton-images.com

It’s going to be a big week in F1. And it’s started already.

The 1 Malaysia Lotus F1 Team has seen its driver line up unveiled in Kuala Lumpur this morning, with confirmation that Jarno Trulli will head up the team alongside Heikki Kovalainen, with Fairuz Fauzy filling the reserve driver role. It’s a sensible line-up. Jarno’s still one of the fastest guys around over a lap, and Heikki is a seriouusly talented guy who, for one reason or another, hasn’t ever had the right berth to show what he can do. As for Fairuz, he came second in World Series last season, but often looked out of his depth in A1GP and GP2.

Tomorrow Virgin Racing will be officially unveiled in London, but it is currently unclear whether the team will be announcing its second driver. Timo Glock has already been unveiled as one of the squad’s drivers, and Lucas di Grassi is the favourite for the second seat. Adam Carroll is a possibility for the reserve driver role.

The Renault sale story also continues to rumble along, with reports doing the rounds that a deal has been done for 75% of the team to be sold to Genii Capital, ie Gravity Racing. The squad will remain known as Renault. Neither Renault nor Gravity would comment on the situation when I spoke to them late last week, but have confirmed that some news should become available within the next few days.

But quite possibly the largest piece of chocolate hidden behind the door of the advent calendar this week is the news leaking out of Germany that Mercedes has done what many thought was the impossible and lured Michael Schumacher back to a race seat in F1 with a lucrative £20 million per season. While it’s not as vast a sum as he commanded in his years at Ferrari, in the current world of the credit crunch and considering we’re talking about a team which turned down Jenson Button’s salary demands on the basis they couldn’t afford it, £20 million would immediately make Michael one of the best paid drivers in F1. The German press is reporting that Schumacher has talked his way out of his recently agreed three year deal with Ferrari to be ambassador to the firm’s road car division, and will mark an incredible return to racing at the head of the first full Mercedes factory F1 team since the 1950s.

It’s going to be a big week in F1. Loads of news to come. Watch this space.

Heikki or Heidfeld to partner Trulli at Lotus

The 1Malaysia Lotus F1 Team is due to announce its 2010 driver pairing in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow, and today’s internet pages have been filled with the sad news that Takuma Sato is out of contention for the second seat at the squad.

I say sad because Taku is a talented driver, an incredibly nice chap, and a racer with the most recent experience of what it takes to lead a start-up team from scratch. He would have been the perfect choice from a sporting as well as commercial point of view, but Lotus has made its decision and, for whatever reason, Taku doesn’t fit the bill.

All of which seems to have cemented opinion that it will be Heikki Kovalainen who is unveiled tomorrow as a Lotus driver alongside Jarno Trulli, who is known to have been Lotus’ preferred number 1 driver from the outset.

However, my sources are telling me that all is not as clear cut as at first thought, for Heikki is not alone in the running for the second seat. With the Michael Schumacher / Mercedes saga showing no sign of abating, I have it on good authority that Lotus are still trying to decide between Heikki and one other driver… Nick Heidfeld.

Nick was always thought to be a shoe in at Mercedes, but in recent weeks has slipped further out of contention for the seat as both Michael Schumacher and Robert Kubica’s names have been heavily linked to what is increasingly becoming the critical seat of the winter period. With Taku no longer in the running for the Lotus job, and Jarno Trulli all but confirmed from the off, it now seems the second seat is a straight fight between Heikki and Heidfeld.

I understand that a decision is yet to be taken over exactly who will fill Lotus’ second seat. Kovalainen, however, is the favourite.

It is also interesting to note that neither of Lotus’ drivers will be asked to bring funding with them.

Todt’s influence clear as FIA rings the changes

Jean Todt © FIA

Praise the lord and pass the ammunition. A brace of changes lie in store for Formula 1 next season, as Jean Todt made good on his election promises and helped push through some much needed alterations to the manner in which the sport will be run in the coming years at today’s FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting.

First up, a new points system. 25 for the winner, 20 for second, 15 for third, 10 for fourth then 8, 6, 5, 3, 2, 1 going down to tenth place. The increase in the number of drivers scoring points reflects the increase in grid size and is, frankly, an excellent idea. The points differential for the top three also does what Bernie Ecclestone had wanted to do through his bonkers medals idea, which was to make a win mean considerably more than second place and thus improve the prospect of somebody pushing that extra bit harder to overtake.

Second, and long overdue, Mr Todt has managed to unite consensus within the WMSC to overhaul the outdated and ineffectual stewarding process which had thrown up so many dodgy decisions over the past few seasons. Spa 2008 anyone?

Here’s the official blurb:

A smaller permanent group of F1 Stewards will sit with experienced former F1 drivers to provide a permanent panel of three FIA stewards, together with one steward representing the National Sporting Authority, to deal with F1 at each Grand Prix.

There will no longer be a non-voting Chairman and each group of stewards will elect their own Chairman amongst themselves for each race. Utilising video and radio exchanges they should aim to reach decisions very efficiently.

The current observer programme for F1 stewards will continue, and training, distribution of decisions, and an annual meeting will be encouraged to raise the quality of decisions in this permanent group.

What does that mean? Basically it means Max Mosley’s bezzie mate Alan Donnely (non-voting, but hugely influential stewards Chairman) is out of a job. It also means that the cry of the media, the sport at large, and even the drivers has been heeded and former racers will sit on a stewarding panel. Seems such a simple idea, doesn’t it? And the fact it has taken a new President to push it through gives us a small glimpse of just what a barrier to the advancement of common sense in the sport Max Mosley really had become in the latter stages of his Presidency.

There will also be newly appointed F1 Ambassadors, pulled from the membership of the World Council for each event.

The Ambassador will liaise with the National Sporting Authority (ASN) and organising team at the circuit. He will also meet with the ASN President, FIA VIP guests, Formula One Management, F1 Teams and other stakeholders and act as an Ambassador of FIA sport.

Anything else? Well actually, yes. One of Todt’s biggest election pledges has been incorporated into the FIA’s structure at the first opportunity with the announcement of the creation of the role of Comissioner for each FIA championship. Here’s the official blurb again…

Commissioners for the FIA World Championships will be appointed by the World Motor Sport Council on the proposal of the President of the FIA.

The commissioners report directly to the President of the FIA and, at the request of the President, to the Deputy President of the FIA for Sport or to other members of the World Motor Sport Council.

The commissioners will be present at each event of the World Championship for which they have been appointed and their role is to serve as permanent liaison for the various stakeholders involved (ASNs, promoters, organisers, manufacturers, teams, officials, suppliers, etc.).

They are also tasked with supervising the general running of the Championship and its development on behalf of the FIA.

The commissioners are not empowered to take decisions or to perform any other act of a regulatory nature which may come under the remit (sporting, technical, organisational or disciplinary) accorded to the officials of the event by the International Sporting Code.

The appointment of the commissioners will allow the FIA President to focus on the strategic development of the FIA and in particular to further encourage the synergies between mobility and motor sport.

The Calendar was also confirmed, with Abu Dhabi switching places with Brazil to become the final round of the season, as it was in 2009.

But the biggest and best news is that Jean Todt’s reign as President of the FIA is having an immediate impact. His suggestions for change have been sensible and structured and in some cases have righted problems which have existed within the sport for far too long. Most importantly of all, he is already respected enough within the association to be able to get his amendments voted through with little fuss.

All in all, it has been a good news day for Formula 1. Not only has today’s meeting of the world council reinforced the feeling that a new era of governance has swept over the FIA, but that in Jean Todt the body has a President with the strength and motivation to push Formula 1 in a direction that will benefit the sport first and foremost.

How would a group F1 launch work?

Opera and Hemesferic - Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias © E. Patching / Suttons

Comments coming out of this week’s Motorsport Business Forum in Monaco have confirmed what I first reported back on October 5, in Issue 66 of GPWeek. Namely, that Formula 1 is not only considering but has now reached consensus over the concept of a group team launch in 2010.

Now there are many commentators who will say that this is a terrible idea, an unworkable idea. I can see their point, particularly if they’re writing for weekly motorsport magazines as the steady drip flow of news afforded by individual launches makes those early winter weeks far more bearable. The concept of 13 team launches all at once for daily newspapers is also something of a nightmare. How are they supposed to speak to Alonso, Hamilton, Button, Vettel etc all at once? Which team would take preference? Which team would be the focus and which would completely miss out?

It would appear that FOTA has been thinking about this, and that the body has ultimately chosen the best possible location for a group launch, if one is to happen at all.

The Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences) in Valencia is one of the most tremendous venues in Europe for hosting big events. I’ve got firsthand experience of the place, having organised the 2006 GP2 launch and 2007 GP2 End of Season Awards ceremony at the venue. Its design, layout and multiple venues make it unique and, I believe, for what FOTA is envisaging, completely perfect for an F1 group launch.

But you can’t do it all in day. Oh no. Not even with all the venues available in Valencia would such a feat be possible. Instead, the only way I can see this working is by hosting a launch event over three days. You split the teams at intervals of three from the official entry list published by the FIA to ensure an even spread of teams from the top to the bottom each day, and ensuring that you don’t have one day filled with the new teams, and one day filled with all the top teams from 2009.

To my mind, it would make sense to limit team launches to a maximum of 30-40 minutes and get them all out of the way in the morning in one hour time allocations. By utilising the Opera House, the Hemesferic (which can be split into two launch venues) and the main Science building (which can be split into upwards of three separate launch venues), you have individual launch venues within walking distance of each other.

GP2 Launch 2006 © G. Bumstead / Sutton

Over lunch you make all the drivers of the teams launching their cars that day available for autograph sessions on the walkway that links the Science building with the Hemesferic. The fans get to meet their heroes in the flesh and it brings the city into the event.

Then, in the afternoon, its time for the media to get their interviews done in slots allocated for TV, two group sessions for journalists would be divided on national lines and within those chunks the time utilised as each team sees fit. Finally there’d be an hour for one on one interviews with key team personnel.

The event could run like this for three consecutive days, and on the final evening the event could be rounded up in style with a street parade around the venue by the 2009 teams in a style similar to the 2007 McLaren launch, as it is not definite that the new teams will have rolling chassis by the end of January date set for the launch.

It wouldn’t be difficult to keep everyone happy… at least I don’t think so. In this way the teams get an equal footing, the media gets the time it needs with the teams, and the fans get to meet their heroes and see the cars in action. And all this in the days before F1 2010 makes its debut at the Ricardo Tormo circuit down the road on the outskirts of Valencia.

To my mind, an event of this nature would create an enormous buzz and would be a fantastic way to start the season. DTM’s been doing it for years, IRL has a huge parade before the Indy 500, so why shouldn’t F1?

And the great thing is, it doesn’t need to cost a fortune. I know from my own experience what it costs to put on an event at this very venue in Valencia. Even renting the entire Ciudad for three days shouldn’t cost the earth. I know that McLaren blew a huge amount of money on their own launch, but so long as FOTA plays its cards right and actually barters this deal down, it could work out to be so financially viable and so fan friendly that it becomes a regular part of the annual F1 season build up.

And imagine that… every year a different city. Every year a different set of fans, coming out en masse, meeting their heroes. This could be the beginning of something truly fantastic.

The Tragedy of Silverstone’s GP Deal

Donington Park, October 2009 © J. Moy / Sutton

The British Grand Prix has been saved and we can all breathe a huge sigh of relief. By the time the new deal runs out, if it goes to its full length, I’ll be in the latter half of my 40s. While that may not mean much to many of you, to me that seems like a bloody long way away. Hell, I’m not even 30 yet.

A 17 year deal for Silverstone is great news for British motorsport and of course for British motorsport fans. It’s also a great deal from the perspective of the sport itself, for Silverstone is one of the drivers’ favourite tracks of the year. The proposed changes, which had been due to be made for MotoGP’s arrival in 2010, will go some way to bringing the track into the 21st century and should simply enhance the circuit as the alterations will not affect any of the opening half of the circuit which is so adored by racers.

But although yesterday’s news will be greeted with almost universal approval by the motorsport community, on reflection it has also, through no fault of its own, confirmed a very sorry state of affairs.

Let us not forget that next season was supposed to signal the return of Formula 1 to Donington Park. The revamped, redesigned circuit was supposed to become the new home of British motorsport and of the British Grand Prix. It was to be, in the words of then FIA President Max Mosley, the type of circuit that British fans deserved.

Today however, the circuit lies in ruins. Literally.

The circuit modifications, essential for the hosting of the Grand Prix, were started but never completed. Simon Gillett, the wideboy-esque boss of Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd ran out of money and ideas, renovation work was suspended, the rights to host the Grand Prix were lost and the administrators were brought in. What remains of Donington Park today is little more than a building site. A once wonderful racing circuit, which sat high up the order of racing favourites not just in the UK but in Europe for drivers at all levels, is now unusable.

MotoGP has gone to Silverstone. Formula 1 will remain at Silverstone for the foreseeable future. F2 will not be back at Donington. Neither will Superleague. Indeed, if the lease is not bought and the track repaired, it seems unlikely there will be any racing at all at Donington Park in 2010.

How sad it is that just weeks after the passing of Tom Wheatcroft, the man who restored Donington Park from ruins to racing, the track into which he poured his heart and soul now lies in tatters.

So, while it is right that we celebrate the confirmation that Formula 1 will stay in Britain for the long term and at the wonderful Silverstone circuit, yesterday’s announcement may also have signalled the death knell for one of this country’s favourite race tracks.

One hopes somebody with a big enough pocket and with sufficient passion and foresight is able to take hold of the lease and return Donington to its former glory, let alone shape it into an all singing, all dancing mega-track for the 21st Century. If my sources close to Donington are correct, it’s going to cost over £4 million to simply get the track back into a state where you could drive a full lap.

Regardless of the continuation of F1 in this country, it would be a genuine tragedy if the foolish mistakes of one man should ultimately serve to have robbed us of one of the great racing circuits.

Same home, new circuit for British GP

The British Grand Prix will stay at Silverstone until 2026, it has been announced, after the BRDC agreed terms with Bernie Ecclestone on a 17-year deal to keep Formula 1 at the self-styled home of British motorsport.

Both parties have agreed on a get-out clause which comes into effect after ten years.

The BRDC has confirmed that it intends to run the Formula 1 Grand Prix on a new circuit layout, initially designed for Silverstone’s hosting of MotoGP in 2010 (pictured above). Work will also begin after Christmas on a new pitlane and paddock, which the BRDC intends to complete in time for the 2011 Grand Prix.

“The FIA have been to see it, it has been submitted for homologation and we hope to be running on the ‘arena’ circuit next summer. If not we can run on the current circuit,” said Silverstone MD Richard Phillips.

BRDC President Damon Hill has long admitted that Silverstone had only been willing to hold onto the British Grand Prix on the right terms, but was clearly delighted to have ensured the survival of the British Grand Prix after Donington’s inept failures had called into question the very future of the event.

“It is not easy to enter into a contract of this magnitude and you have to take on a lot of responsibility, but the BRDC wanted this relationship to continue.

“Everyone was well aware that the British GP is not just a sporting event, but it is dynamo of the industry in this country. Losing it would have been damaging and perhaps there would have been no coming back.”

It is understood that new FIA President Jean Todt was instrumental in pleading the case of maintaining the British Grand Prix to Ecclestone, and thus hope of a return for the French Grand Prix and the safety of F1’s traditional heartland in Europe in the future must be high.

Why Panasonic ‘aint going nowhere

Jarno Trulli © J. Moy / Sutton

There’s been a lot of noise recently suggesting that Panasonic is set to switch allegiance from Toyota, which has pulled the plug on its F1 operation, to another F1 team, potentially linking up with Kamui Kobayashi who so impressed in his two F1 outings in 2009.

Japanese telecoms company KDDI has similarly been linked with remaining in F1, linking up with Panasonic and going where each other go.

Two big companies, it makes sense for them to want to hang around in F1 doesn’t it? Well no, I don’t think it does.

You see, both Panasonic and KDDI’s involvement with Toyota was on a B2B (business to business) basis. Panasonic and Toyota are long-term partners, with Panasonic producing the vast majority of Toyota’s hybrid batteries. KDDI, meanwhile, is 11% owned by Toyota.

So do I see them moving to another team? No I do not.

And, if my sources on the ground in Japan are to be believed, they have no intention of backing Kobayashi either. The Japanese economy and system of ultimate answerability to shareholders simply won’t allow them to financially support the kid, even if they wanted to. Despite its purchase of Sanyo making Panasonic Japan’s largest electronics corporation and a promising second quarter, a staggering first quarter loss over the past fiscal year is set to see Panasonic’s annual profits down by hundreds of millions of yen.

There seems no reason and no financial case for either Panasonic or KDDI to hang around after Toyota’s departure.