1969 Australian F1 Grand Prix at Lakeside featuring great drivers such as Chris Amon, Piers Courage, Jochen Rindt, Frank Gardner, Alfredo Costanzo, Graham Hill, Max Stewart and Derek Bell.
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Gary Hartstein, Former F1 Doc Interview – I was just a Doctor
Dr Gary Hartstein, M.D. is the former FIA Medical Delegate for the Formula One World Championship. Gary has been key in developing some of the FIA’s new approaches and policies in terms of medical safety.
In 1997 Gary joined Professor Sid Watkins in the Formula 1 Medical Car and in 2005 he became the “Formula 1 Doctor” when Sid retired. At the end of 2012 Gary did not have his contract renewed as Formula One Medical Delegate.
Mario Muth sat down with Gary at his home in Liège to talk about his life in Formula 1 and how it ended in this brilliant interview, WELL worth watching!
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Russian GP misses FIA application deadline
Russian GP organisers have missed the deadline set by the FIA to apply to host a Formula One race next season, according to the Russian Automobile Federation (RAF).
Although construction work is still underway at the Sochi International Circuit, private email correspondence between the FIA and the RAF stated that the Russian GP organisers had until the 31st of July to submit their application.
The email read: “We kindly ask you to submit your requests for all events as soon as possible, and no later than 31 July 2013, except in the case of force majeure.”
In order for the Russian GP race to now go ahead, they will have to prove that exceptional circumstances are to blame for their missing the deadline.
It seems that a dispute exists between the RAF and Russian GP promoters over who will be liable to pay for certain costs such as the training of the 700-800 track marshals and circuit staff that are required to host the race.
The RAF said in a statement that as soon as the dispute is resolved, they will submit their application under force majeure as has been made provision for by the FIA.
The issue is likely to be resolved and the Russian Grand Pix is likely to go ahead as planned – especially considering the very public signing of the contract by President Vladimir Putin and Bernie Ecclestone.
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Sound of the new Mercedes-Benz V6 turbo engine – around Monza
Mercedes have released this video with the sound of an F1 car lapping Monza using a 2014 V6 turbo engine. Enjoy!
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Humbled by F1 headlines – by @Reynardg
I hate to lose and I hate it even more if I lose and people can put me in my place about it.
To top it all off – I’m actually the one who started this. With this being my usual post-race F1 column, everything expressed here is my own opinion. This however started on my personal Facebook profile on Thursday night where after three weeks of no F1, I was very much looking forward to the race and a win for Sebastian Vettel.
It was probably a good thing that I didn’t bet any money on the race, however it would’ve been a safe bet if I predicted which of my colleagues and friends would be the first to remind me of how over-optimistic I was. However, while sitting and licking my wounds, I did indeed start thinking of how interesting this current F1 season still can become.
Here are the facts: Red Bull has looked fairly indestructible in recent times. Between them and Lotus they made the tyre issues look like a little niggle.
Remember however, at Silverstone the Gearbox on Vettel’s car packed up and at Budapest it was KERS.
Meanwhile Pirelli brought along some new tyres and teams now had their fair share of legal and illegal tyre tests.
Now let’s add the drivers here. No one really knows what goes on in the mind of Iceman Kimi Raikkonen although I’ll bet his mind is set on winning races rather than crying over a salary.
Ever since he announced his retirement Mark Webber has been looking like a new man and one on a mission to leave a legacy. Looking past his penalty, Romain Grosjean has started living up to the potential we always knew he had. Nico Rosberg secured two wins in the first part of the season and has really become a driver that just looks more like believing that he can win a title. Then there’s Lewis Hamilton, newly single and just looking all that more motivated.
Vettel is still in the lead of the championship, but the road to winning four consecutive titles is not an easy one and it’s not a sure bet. At the end of the race we all heard him saying “Sorry guys, I did all I could” and in all honesty… he did.
Hungary 2013 was a GP in which all the key contenders did all they could. There’s still a lot that can happen this year and the championship may well again carry on until the last lap at Interlagos.
Hungary taught Vettel to be humble, it taught me not to pre-write headlines, but more so – I hope it taught all the those who constantly write off F1 as a boring sport that there’s nothing like a foregone conclusion in the fastest sport in the world.
Reynard Gelderblom is the motorsport editor for Street Motion.
Keep up to date with the latest local motorsport news by following Street Motion on Twitter.
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Silly Season Update – Red Bull drops another hint?
Red Bull have said that there is no pressure for them to put one of it’s young drivers into their car for 2014.
Rumours have been rampant the past month on who will replace Australian Mark Webber. The confirmed potential drivers on the shortlist are Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo and Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen. And as of the Hungarian grand prix race weekend Fernando Alonso also seems to be under consideration for the champion squad. However, it remains to be seen whether Alonso will be contractually available, whether Ferrari would let him go without too much of a fight and most importantly, whether or not the rumour is just a bit of political by-play from Alonso.
Even though the Toro Rosso team was set up with the aim of bringing young talent into the sport Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says that Ricciardo will not be selected if it is not in the best interest of the team. “Of course we want the strongest drivers in the cars that you possibly can,” said Horner.
It makes sense to plan for the future with a younger driver. But what Horner is saying makes more sense. Formula 1 is about now and having the best driver line-up ensures at the very least a chance of fighting amongst the front-end.
Daniel Ricciardo proved his prowess at the three-day Silverstone test. However, being in the thick of things against a triple world champion teammate, with every miniscule move scrutinised by the world’s sporting media is whole different prospect. Does Ricciardo have the talent to perform in the Red Bull? Almost certainly. Can Ricciardo cope with the pressure of racing for Formula 1’s premier team? Big question mark. Chances are that he could handle it without any problems but the doubt is there.Contrastingly, having a driver of Raikkonen or Alonso’s calibre in the team is a guarantee. A guarantee of speed, consistency and knowing how to handle the world’s media.
It will also be more beneficial for Sebastian Vettel to have either Raikkonen or Alonso as his teammate. Though Vettel is a triple world champion he has hardly ever been pushed by a teammate for an extended period of time. Some suggest that for Vettel to be truly regarded as one of the greats he needs to beat the best drivers on the grid. With all things being equal, armed with the same car, would he be able to do that against Raikkonen or Alonso? No matter the answer of this question pairing Vettel with either one of these two is going to be one hell of an explosive ride.
Photos by Red Bull Racing Twitter Team.
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Video: Kimi Raikkonen: “I don’t have a Twitter”
What more can be said. It’s just Kimi Raikkonen being Kimi Raikkonen.
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Video: Tooned 50: Episode 2 – The Bruce McLaren Story
Episode two of the McLaren Tooned series for the 2013 Formula 1 Season
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Video: A Message From Murray Walker After the Hungarian Grand Prix
Murray Walker thanking the fans for their support through his fight with cancer
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James Allison heading for Ferrari this September
Ferrari has confirmed that former Lotus (and Renault) Technical Director, James Allison, will be joining the Maranello based team on the 1st of September this year.
Allison left his position with Lotus as their technical director earlier this year and there have been rumours linking him to a possible move to Ferrari. He now joins the team as their “Chassis Technical Director”.
As part of the deal, Pat Fry gets a nice promotion – moving up to Director of Engineering at the Ferrari team.
Both men will report to team principal, Stefano Domenicali.James Allison is well known as one of the best designers in the Formula One paddock and could really make a change in their title hopes in the 2014 season. He previously worked for Ferrari during the early 2000’s during their dominant spell with Michael Schumacher and then moved on to Renault where Fernando Alonso won the 2005 and 2006 championships with him.
Photo of James Allison by Lotus F1 Team
Photo of Michael Schumacher by Rick Dikeman
