F1 Most liked posts in thread: F1 - 2013

F1 silly season gets sillier as Kimi Räikkönen linked to McLaren seat

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh considering making pitch to Lotus driver

Martin Whitmarsh on Tuesday threw a new spanner in the Formula One silly season works, refusing to rule out a return to McLaren for Kimi Räikkönen.

Following the Finn's rumored moves to Red Bull or Ferrari, it was looking more and more likely the 2007 world champion would simply stay at Lotus. But McLaren boss Whitmarsh on Tuesday admitted he has considered making a move to bring Räikkönen, who drove for the British team between 2002 and 2006, back to McLaren.

"Yes, we have [considered it]," Whitmarsh told Formula One's official website. "Kimi has always been great, and I am a big fan of him. There is a lot of speculation out there at the moment, so let's see what happens."

Whitmarsh's comments on Tuesday are a surprise, as the latest reports suggest Jenson Button will certainly stay with McLaren in 2014, while the McLaren boss said at Spa at the weekend that Mexican Sergio Perez deserves another chance in a better car.


Read more: F1 silly season gets sillier as Kimi Räikkönen linked to McLaren seat - Autoweek

 

Formula 1′s governing body, the FIA, could penalise organisers of the Belgian Grand Prix, after the headline grabbing Greenpeace protests at Spa-Francorchamps.

Hitting out at race sponsor Shell’s apparent plans for Arctic oil drilling, the environmental activists took to the skies with banners, scaled Spa-Francorchamps’ main grandstand and interrupted the post-race podium procedure.

“It’s a worry,” Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko told Bild newspaper. ”Imagine if it was an organisation that didn’t want to unfurl banners, but wanted to set off bombs.”

The German newspaper said that the FIA could penalise the race organisers for not having adequate security measures in place.

Swiss newspaper Blick said that the penalty could run into the millions.

 

Booing was evident as Sebastian Vettel stood atop the Belgian Grand Prix podium.

The reason was obvious, too. At least for a moment. Formula One media and fans alike nodded sagely: the Red Bull Racing driver is not a popular man with the fans.

But then, as a second thought, a further possibility emerged. Environmental group Greenpeace's PR pre-and-post-race protests against Shell.

Ah, maybe it was not as clear cut as first considered.

Greenpeace's stunt involved deploying previously-hidden, radio-controlled banners on the podium balcony, on which the "SaveTheArctic.Org" web address read, with a logo similar to the start-finish straight banner (put up immediately prior to the start) emblazoned with: "Arctic Oil: Shell No!"

The protesters’ ingenuity and planning was impressive, but they failed to make much of a global splash on television as F1’s burghers ensured that the only photographers’ still images appeared. The last time political protests interrupted a grand prix was in Turkey in 2006; in the aftermath the organising club were hit with a huge fine by the FIA.

 

Ecclestone denies that Michelin could replace Pirelli in Formula One

Teams not pushing for change, seem to be happy that Pirelli has addressed 2013 issues

Bernie Ecclestone insists that Pirelli will remain as F1's sole supplier 2014, despite Michelin having thrown its hat into the ring.

The French company has now confirmed to the FIA that it is interested in the role, leaving both the teams and Pirelli in limbo as they prepare for 2014.

Some top teams are known to be interested in at least discussing a change, despite the short lead time Michelin has before the start of testing for next season in late January.
Ecclestone has always been close to Pirelli, and has a lucrative commercial deal with the Italian manufacturer for trackside advertising and so on. Meanwhile, FIA president Jean Todt is known to be sympathetic to Michelin.

One senior team figure told Autoweek at Spa that it would require a bold decision by Todt to open the door for Michelin at this late stage, and given that an FIA election is coming up, such a controversial move seemed unlikely.

When asked by Autoweek about Michelin's chances, Ecclestone said simply that "FOM and Pirelli have a contract."

Asked why there was not yet a contract between the FIA and Pirelli -- the one that Paul Hembery says he is awaiting -- Bernie dismissed its relevance.

Read more: Ecclestone denies that Michelin could replace Pirelli in Formula One - Autoweek Racing F1 news - Autoweek