Ecclestone cools News Corporation takeover talk

F1 Fanatic round-up

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In the round-up: Bernie Ecclestone plays down the chances of a News Corp F1 takeover.

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

Interview: Bernie Ecclestone on bribery, women and Murdoch – part 1 (London Loves Business)

“Earlier in the year Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation media empire was believed to be considering making a bid for F1 and there were fears Ecclestone would be ousted if it took over the sport. However, the phone hacking scandal put paid to its ambitions in F1 and Ecclestone says ‘News Corp has not made a return visit’.”

Button keeping Ferrari option open as McLaren star stalls on long-term deal (Daily Mail)

McLaren have a one-year option on Button’s current deal which is likely to see the 31-year-old remain with the team for 2012. But the British star is believed to be keeping his options open amid growing interest from Ferrari.”

Button wants Grand Prix shortened (ESPN)

“It’s one of the races we actually think is a little too long, that they need to maybe shorten. We do as much as we can physically, but you can’t train for the bumpiness of the circuit, so it’s tough for us.”

Vijay Mallya: “We’re looking to continue this good performance” (Force India)

“Charlie Whiting’s track inspection report is very flattering. I was exceptionally proud to read his report [on Buddh International Circuit]. He said that everything is done to a very high standard and he has asserted that there is no reason why the track should not be fully ready by the race.”

It would be great to make it three but four out of four wouldn’t be bad either… (Ferrari)

Fernando Alonso: “I’ve been told that some people have written that I said a bad word to [Sebastian Vettel] in the immediate post-race at Monza when we were talking about the pass that happened when the safety car came in: it’s incredible to see how far the made-up stories of certain people can travel! Not only did I never say the word in question to him but we chatted about the episode in a very good way, as was clear to everyone during the FIA press conference a few minutes later.”

GP2 test for JK Racing Asia champion (Lotus)

“Caterham Team AirAsia will give a prize GP2 test to the winner of the 2011 JK Racing Asia Series.”

Follow F1 news as it breaks using the F1 Fanatic live Twitter app.

Comment of the day

KaIIe expects a close fight in Singapore:

I think we might genuinely be in for a five-way battle for the win here: Hamilton is good at street circuits, Alonso has been mighty here, Vettel is flying, Button will do his usual Prost-esque performance and I think even Webber might be in there.

Also, I’m looking forward to Rosberg’s performance. He has always done well here, almost winning the 2009 race. But I think it’ll be another short-lived stint near the top, as the Mercedes have tended to simply slip away during the race. But maybe this time he’ll be able to hold on to a podium place, bit like Schumacher at Monza.
KaIIe

From the forum

With F1 2011 going on sale soon, what set-up are you using to play racing games?

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Cwojdek, MattB, Radoye and sato113!

On this day in F1

Nigel Mansell’s championship chances were dealt a mortal blow in the Portuguese Grand Prix 20 years ago today.

He was leading when he came into the pits but lost a wheel as he left the pit box. He was later disqualified for having the wheel replaced in the fast lane of the pits.

Remarkably, it was the second time in three years Mansell had been disqualified for an infringement in the Estoril pit lane.

Riccardo Patrese claimed victory ahead of Ayrton Senna, who extended his points lead over Mansell, with Jean Alesi third for Ferrari.

In this video Michael Schumacher narrates the qualifying lap which put him fifth on the grid for his third Grand Prix start:

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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51 comments on “Ecclestone cools News Corporation takeover talk”

  1. Agree with JB on the length of the Singapore GP. Two hours of that must be hell, and in that humidity too…its a real example of what incredible athletes F1 drivers really are.

    But, lets not forget that everyone has a limit, and Singapore is certainly pushing that limit for the drivers. I just hope it won’t take an accident through exhaustion for action to be taken…

    1. I think it is just one more difficulty it adds character to the gp

      1. They can shorten it to 260 km just like Monaco!

    2. But, lets not forget that everyone has a limit, and Singapore is certainly pushing that limit for the drivers.

      Don’t forget the cars – Jenson Button pretty much had to coast home in 2009 because he had on brakes left.

      However, I suspect a recongifuation of the circuit to remove a lot of the chicanes along the waterfront (and to go around the War Memorial instead of tucking inside it) would go a long way to remedying Button’s concerns.

    3. I agree that Singapore should be shortened but Monza could also be a little longer

    4. Don’t agree with JB.

      F1 needs to have all kinds of races. Monza is kind of a short sprint race. Singapore is the endurance race. Spa is one which will almost always have changing weather. Hungary, Barcelona will be dry and boring.

      It is this variety which makes F1 exciting. Let us not change that.

      1. I don’t think he has a problem with the length of the race, more the bumps battering the base of his spine.

    5. But if they do that, they might make Monza longer, to get some 90-100 minutes of racing instead of having just a bit over 82 minutes of it.

      In that case, i would be fine with making adjustments.

      1. Would they be able to fill up enough fuel for that? Or rather, how slow would they have to go to make the fuel last for some 400 km?

        1. Actually, Monza is not a track where they use a great lot of fuel, as they do not have to brake and get up to speed often.

          I guess they could go on for quite another few laps if they fuel up for the start. And it would be only another consideration to take into account when planning the car.

    6. I think the planned changes to the circuit (making T7-8-9 just one left hander, redesigning the waterfront completely) would’ve taken care of the length, as the track would be much faster. Has any reason been given why these changes didn’t happen?

  2. However, the phone hacking scandal put paid to its ambitions in F1 and Ecclestone says ‘News Corp has not made a return visit’.”

    You just know Bernie`s sitting by He`s CIA certified phone……waiting.

  3. I watched Mark Webber’s on board lap from 2010 and the way his whole body gets bumped around on this circuit makes me just stand back in awe at how someone can get thrown around like that for 2+ hours! Add the lack of grip and the unforgiving barriers and this looks like one of the more challenging circuits to drive.

  4. the British star is believed to be keeping his options open amid growing interest from Ferrari.”

    In other words, idle speculation. Tabloid journalism.

  5. Fingers crossed that JB eventually joins Ferrari. I’ve wanted him to drive for the prancing horse ever since he made his debut, but for a variety of reasons it’s never looked likely. I think it’d be a fitting place for him to end his career.

    1. I doubt he’ll go. He’s said he wants to stay at McLaren, and Ferrari have a whole host of drivers lined up. No doubt this is the British press blowing things out of proportion and trying to make McLaren panic and move to take up Button’s option.

      1. No doubt this is the British press blowing things out of proportion and trying to make McLaren panic and move to take up Button’s option.

        The only article that I read suggesting Ferrari is interested in Button was written by a Brazilian insider, Livio Orrichio.

        It is entirely speculative.

  6. I just bought my copy of F1 2011. I haven’t installed it or started playing it yet, and I won’t until I have completed a uni assignment – but I just wated to say I got this awesome little 2Gb USB stick shaped like a Formula 1 car with the game.

    1. I got one of them too, how awesome is the little thing. Can’t wait until after work so I can play it

    2. A really nice touch for the early orders then, good idea from CM

      1. Actually, I didn’t pre-order it at all. I just walked into my local EB Games and bought it off the shelf.

        1. Really, wow, nice present for early buyers then!

          1. Actually, from what I gather, they had one for every copy of the game. You buy the game, you get the USB, though I imagine that once they’re sold out, they’re sold out. It’s actually quite hefty, made of some kind of black resin. And it doesn’t have a keychain.

    3. That’s almost as cool as the TNT vehicle shaped USB stick I have!

    4. Please do tell us about the gameplay PM, I need to get myself a new racing game. Till then I’ll bide my time on Gears of War 3 :P

      1. The gameplay is tricky. I never had the opportunity to play F1 2010, so I’m a complete newbie when it comes to this game. It was a little frustrating to begin with because I had to calibrate the controls, and the game doesn’t like it if you leave certain functions unassigned.

        There’s a lot to learn here; I’m still getting used to the idea that you cannot brake and steer at the same time. Right now, I’m braking slightly, aiming the car when I want it and then weighing anchor. It’s a little unnatural, but I’m trying to get used to the handling before I start judging braking points. Turn 3 and Turn 15 at Albert Park keep throwing me; I’m braking too soon for Turn 3 and too late for 15. Knowing the racing line for 90% of the circuit really helps; if I didn’t already know it, I would have a lot more trouble. It wasn’t until I started setting reasonably-competitive lap times (I improved my time around Spa by about 12 seconds in the space of five laps) that I started experimenting with the DRS and KERS. KERS is very tricky, because it’s easy to redline the engine with it, and if you’re a moment too soon on it, you’ll spin out.

        Even on the intermediate setting, the AI is very opportunistic. It does, however, have some funny moments. I was doing a qualifying session at Albert Park and was dropped in the middle of two cars – a Mercedes and a Red Bull – duelling on-track, and another time I tried to go around a Force India, but he went the same way as I did. We tangled, and I got a ten-place grid penalty for it.

        I find the career mode to be a little sterile, because it’s based around the motorhome and you only really interact with a computer. I’d love to see drivers and team figures and journalists wondering around, and maybe some degree of interaction with them. It would be great to be able to step out of a car and have your team-mate congratulate you. Of course, all of that is just a pipe dream; it would only really be window-glazing. Codemasters took a lot of flak for the unnecessary setup in DIRT 2, but it would add some personality and atmosphere to the game – even if you were just walking from the motorhome to the garage, and you used the look-around function to spy a driver giving an interview. I’d also love to see some collectable content; for example, if you got a magazine cover after taking your first pole position.

        Right now, my biggest problem with the game is the frame rate. It drops off noitceably in a few places (the main straight, the approach to Turn 3 and the straight after the fast chicane at Albert Park are all difficult), even when I’m running low graphical settings. I actually have a really good computer (my graphics card is one model off the recommended), and it gets easier over time, so I suspect my computer is being stubborn. And there was a werid episode where a Hispania was shown despite the fact that I was in a Virgin …

        And I’ve found one tiny, cosmetic glitch. Actually it’s more of a spelling error, but it’s a weird one. Paul di Resta appears in the timing charts as “PDR”. It’s unusual because he’s usually shown as “DIR”; “PDR” is actuall Pedro de la Rosa’s designation. It only happens in the garage, though. speaking of the garage, I find it very easy to use. And the soundtrack when you’re watching lap times in the session is pretty good (but then, Codemasters usually produce a good soundtrack).

    5. I hope I’ll get one as well!

  7. The difference in quality between the Bernie and the Button article is staggering.

    The Bernie one is a good read.

    1. That’s because one is a tabloid and the other is a dedicated bsuiness/financial publication.

      1. And given both authors are close to Bernie they have probalby had ample time to make the story a satisfying one to mutual consent.

  8. Italian press is reporting that an audit company named Campgemini found some “discrepancies” in Red Bull’s budget. Autosprint Magazine is saying that Red Bull tried to block the audit claiming “invasion of privacy”:

    http://www.auto.it/autosprint/formula_1/2011/09/20-9313/Sospetti+sulla+Red+Bull+

    The magazine is suggesting that FOTA wants a clarification from Red Bull in this weekend at Singapore.

    1. Its CapGemini (not being picky, just it makes it clearer this is a solid source), I guess that was what the remark from someone (was it Horner) a couple of days ago that Red Bull is really keeping inside the RRA limits was about.

      Guess Ferrari especially are still pushing them on this issue then, given the fact it came out in the Italian press.

      1. At my job we all hated Cap. Worst delivery, worst software and 2 – 3 times more expensive then others. But they built our first billing system – without documentation – so we were condemned to eachother.
        To me they’re not a reliable source.

    2. Italian press is reporting that an audit company named Campgemini found some “discrepancies” in Red Bull’s budget. Autosprint Magazine is saying that Red Bull tried to block the audit claiming “invasion of privacy

      I’m cynical that it came from Italy. This isn’t the first time Red Bull have been accused of violating the RRA, and last time, Ferrari was spearheading the charge. It appeared to be an attempt to get Red Bull stripped of its FOTA priveliges to stop them from influencing future technical regulations.

      1. Or just have them keep stricter not only to the wording, but also to the intention of the rules (something I think other teams have been saying they are really exploring the limits of).
        But it might just be about getting them to have to spend less next years to catch up on track!

        1. (something I think other teams have been saying they are really exploring the limits of)

          Exactly. Everybody here knows that when Ferrari (and anybody else, for that matter) aren’t throwing the book at Red Bull, they’re combing through it, looking for a way to find an advantage. If they can do it with the technical regulations, they’ll certainly do it with the RRA. If you want to be really cynical about it, you could even go so far as to say that when one team cries foul, it’s not much because they want to keep the other teams within both the letter and the spirit of the law, but because they didn’t find that loophole themselves. Look at the double-diffuser controversy at Melbourne in 2009 – all of the teams who complained were the ones who had the most to lose (of course, the Ferrari F60 and McLaren MP4/24 were so dismal at the time that a ban on double-diffusers would have done nothing to improve their fortunre, just embarrass them slightly less on-track).

      2. i read the article(without using the translator lol!) the redbull team was not accused of violating the rpa in fact the investigation about all f1 teams budgets (not only the red bull) has been done by a dutch company “Capgemini” which found that Ferrari & Mclaren have the biggest budget the redbull came in 3rd position with an estimation of 150 million euro but the redbull team provide a controversial indications about their budget and now they are trying to stop the investigation claiming “invasion of privacy”,this week in the meeting with FOTA redbull have to clarify their position.
        The interesting thing in the article that maybe the redbull have crossed the line but this is the worst moment for them to afford a negative publicity

    3. Also, allow me to be the first to refer to this round of controversy as … Billgate.

      1. Red Bill Gate!

  9. i’m definitely tuning in tomorrow for more of the bernie interview. as for a potential sale of f1, i can only hope the teams can come together to buy out cvc.

  10. I still cannot understand why Singapore didn’t follow through their initial idea of relocating Memorial Corner aka Turn 7 around the outside of the War Memorial.

    That will remove two corners and shorten the race.

    As for the chicanes near the habour, I can understand why they cannot be removed as there are pillars for the flyovers above.

    1. Aren’t they still discussing relocating in the future?

      1. Supposedly. Joe Saward is the only one reporting it right now.

        As for the chicanes near the habour, I can understand why they cannot be removed as there are pillars for the flyovers above.

        There’s nothing stopping them from leaving Piquet’s corner in place and running the circuit straight across the waterfront. Or, alternatively, leaving the last chicane intact and running the circuit straight behind the grandstands.

        However, the problem is the Singaporean Army (a friend of mine served in it). In order to control the growth and development of the city, all the open space is owned by the Army. They bought it from the government (for almost nothing), and sell it back (for the purchase price) when the government wants to open up new development. The land holding the pits, paddock and the purpose-built sections of the circuit are technically owned by the Army.

  11. Another day with a lot of birthday fanatics! Happy birthday to all of you :-)

    1. Thank you! Is always a highlight every year seeing my name on this website! :D

    2. thanks man!

  12. Just read the Alonso article – does anyone else find it uncomfortable when he keeps referring to his manipulated 2008 win? I appreciate that he was actually fast that weekend and has since shown an affinity for the track. But it just seems weird. As if we’ll forget about it if he keeps saying it was a great win

    1. Yes, I agree. Not the sort of win I’d be overly eager to mention, personally…

  13. aaah poor jenson. we should immediately shorten the GP and iron out ALL the bumps so that the race is more manageable for the drivers. maybe there should be a tea pit stop for 5 minutes just to have a little break.

  14. i think the reason why jenson button would join ferrari is very simple THE MONEY.When you see that Fernando Alonso is the highest paid driver on the grid and Felipe massa who earns even more than two world champions (Seb & Jenson) i hope jenson will never miss this chance

  15. Love that Schumi onboard, Estoril was a pretty crazy track.

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