Author Archive for Chris Hayes

There was plenty of manoeuvring and politicising ahead of next month’s FIA elections to accompany Friday practice running for the Singapore Grand Prix:

Jean Todt flew into Singapore to woo Formula One’s power brokers, including the Formula One teams association, with his vision for a more affordable and competitive motorsport.  Read more... (385 words, 1 image, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)

Renault’s title sponsor, ING, has pulled the plug on its sponsorship deal with the French team after it was found guilty of fixing the Singapore Grand Prix.

The Dutch bank was due to sponsor Renault until the end of the current 2009 season after announcing earlier in the year that it would not be renewing its contract with the French team.  Read more... (238 words, estimated 57 secs reading time)

Michael Schumacher has tipped Jenson Button to take the 2009 world championship, but reckons it won’t be long before fellow countryman Sebastian Vettel wows F1.

Button arrives in Singapore with a fourteen point lead over his closest rival, Rubens Barrichello, and a twenty six point lead over Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel.  Read more... (215 words, estimated 52 secs reading time)

Renault technical director Bob Bell will take on the role of team principal for the remaining four races of the season, Renault confirmed in the wake of the crash-gate scandal and the resignation of Flavio Briatore.  Read more... (180 words, estimated 43 secs reading time)

FIA President Max Mosley has rebuked suggestions that Renault got off lightly with a two year suspended ban for fixing the Singapore Grand Prix.  Read more... (212 words, estimated 51 secs reading time)

FIA Statement in full:

At an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council held in Paris on 21 September 2009, the ING Renault F1 team (“Renault F1”) admitted that the team had conspired with its driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, in breach of the International Sporting Code and F1 Sporting Regulations.  Read more... (957 words, estimated 3:50 mins reading time)

The Renault F1 team has issued an apology after it was dealt a two-year suspended ban for fixing the result of last year’s Singapore Grand Prix – an act that the FIA lauded as being of “unparalleled severity”.  Read more... (406 words, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)

Singapore
The sport’s only floodlit event suffers, like other street circuits, from a shortage of overtaking opportunities, although Nico Rosberg proved that it can be done with the right blend of confidence and bravado at last year’s event. The venue also has perhaps the most demanding combination of environmental and physical factors for the drivers to contend with; the threat of rain, high humidity levels and potentially blinding smog hovering over the city caused by the recent deforestation fires in neighbouring Indonesia. Combine the elements with a high downforce track consisting of 23 low speed corners and you have one of the most demanding races of the season.  Read more... (1214 words, estimated 4:51 mins reading time)

The latest paddock whispers surrounding next year’s driver line-up place Kimi Raikkonen back at McLaren alongside Lewis Hamilton, while Mercedes’ newfound interest with Brawn GP could see the hitherto McLaren-linked Nico Rosberg make the switch to the Brackley team.  Read more... (109 words, estimated 26 secs reading time)

Lewis Hamilton has hit out at the statisticians claiming he won the 2008 world championship by default – as a result of the Renault crash-gate scandal which robbed Felipe Massa of valuable points in Singapore.

Hamilton beat Massa to the title by a single point by overtaking Timo Glock for fifth place on the final lap of a nail-biting season finale in Brazil.  Read more... (335 words, estimated 1:20 mins reading time)