Klien still hoping for 2010 race seat

RichardsF1    Driver Market, Formula 1     BMW Sauber, Christian Klien

BMW Sauber test driver Christian Klien has not given up hope of returning to the Formula 1 grid in 2010 as the future of the team hangs in the balance. The Austrian’s last F1 race was at the 2006 Italian Grand Prix for Red Bull but, with a possibility that the Qadbak-owned squad could be granted a place in the field being up in the air, he has no choice but to remain optimistic.

He made his F1 debut with Jaguar in 2004 and was retained through to 2006 courtesy of his Red Bull backing when the drinks giant bought out the team. After being sacked after the 2006 Italian GP and replaced by Robert Doornbos, he moved to a test role with Honda and has been BMW Sauber’s test driver since 2008.

"The starting point for driving placements is unique this winter," Christian explained to Germany’s Motorsport-Total.com. "It’s in complete upheaval."

"I would have expected to be one of their race drivers," he admitted, with the FIA still needing to grant permission for a 13th entry. "The entire team at Hinwil, however, is working with full commitment towards the production of next year’s car. It is clear that important decisions, such as team sponsors and driver line-up, will only be released once a place is confirmed.

"I estimate that there is a realistic chance that the traditional Sauber team from Hinwil will be on the Bahrain 2010 grid."

Hopefully Christian will be there too. At least, if anything, to satisfy the bevy of female F1 fans!

Nakajima’s future up to Toyota

RichardsF1    Driver Market, Formula 1     Kazuki Nakajima, Toyota, Williams

Kazuki Nakajima admits his immediate Formula 1 future currently rests with Toyota. Despite never having raced with the now-departed team, the former Williams drivers remains part of its young driver scheme and hopes a drive can be found ahead of the new season.

Based on his 2009 form for Williams, where he was summarily outclassed by team-mate Nico Rosberg (above) and involved in his fair share of accidents, this would seem unlikely. Nakajima clearly struggled with the competitiveness of the field this season and was unable to score a World Championship point.

Talking at the Toyota Motor Sports Festival at the weekend, the son of former F1 driver Satoru Nakajima hopes that a race seat can be secured.

"I have handed negotiations over to Toyota for next season and, at the moment, there is no contract but a lot of uncertain things in F1 because more teams will join and there are some vacant seats on the driver market," Nakajima explained to GPUpdate.net at Fuji Speedway.

Wishful thinking, Kaz!

Kobayashi reveals Toyota disappointment

RichardsF1    Driver Market, Formula 1     Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota

Kamui Kobayashi has revealed that he thought he was about to be offered of a full-time race contract for the 2010 season, only to discover that on his way to the meeting in question, Toyota would be pulling out of Formula 1.

Sucks!

After making his debut in Brazil, Kobayashi impressed everyone by finishing the race at Interlagos ninth before going on to score three World Championship points in Abu Dhabi only a fortnight later.

To say Toyota’s withdrawal was a kick in the teeth for Kamui would be putting it mildly!

"I had a meeting with the team at night, the day before I heard Toyota was quitting F1," said Kamui at Fuji Speedway, scene of last weekend’s Toyota Motor Sports Festival. "I thought I could be a 2010 race driver and went to the meeting but the team told me that there was a possibility of pulling out of Formula 1.

"They said that the pull-out wasn’t officially decided, and that there was a chance of staying in F1, but also said not to be surprised should an announcement be made the following morning; when I woke up next morning, my Manager told me that the team had indeed decided to pull out of F1 – I was really shocked."

Having seemingly seen a race seat plucked from his grasp, Kamui revealed that he is in the wilderness with regards to 2010. "For next year, I think my Manager has been talking other teams but, to be honest, I want to take a break now," he added. "It’s difficult for me to do something without signing for another team, so I will leave it to my Manager and want to have a break. I will go back to Europe in December to speak about the upcoming season. So, for now, I don’t know what will happen for next year."

Terrible shame!

Mercedes: Schumacher will not drive for us

RichardsF1    Driver Market, Formula 1     Mercedes GP, Michael Schumacher

Mercedes GP has played down feverish speculation in the media that Michael Schumacher will be driving for the ex-Brawn outfit next year. The 7-time World Champion, who drove for Mercedes-Benz in sports cars before making his Formula 1 debut in 1991, had been linked with a full-time seat ahead of the 2010 season.

With newly-crowned World Champion Jenson Button moving to McLaren, Schumacher has been tipped by several F1 insiders as the ideal team-mate to compatriot Nico Rosberg, who is also yet to be signed up for next year and is hotly tipped to move to Mercedes-Benz. Despite admitting that the possibility would be ‘a dream’, however, the silver arrows have revealed that a link-up with Schumacher is not on the cards.

"It’s clear that there will always be speculation as long as one cockpit is still free," a spokesman for Mercedes, as quoted by Reuters, said, "and some speculations are nothing but dreams which will not come true."

A notable believer of a Schumacher deal is former team owner and BBC television "pundit" Eddie Jordan, who believes that a deal may already be in place. With the smart money firmly on Rosberg, though, fellow countryman Nick Heidfeld is seemingly the most likely candidate for the second seat.

That being said, the denials coming from all quarters probably mean it’s true!

More F1 collectables found!

RichardsF1    Reviews    

While wandering around a collectables fair last weekend, I found a set of Futera F1 trading cards from the 1994 and 1995 Australian Grands Prix in Adelaide, and just had to snaffle them up!

What a find!

Each set features a multitude of cards profiling the (then) current grid, teams, technical aspects of the cars, past F1 figures and previous race highlights.
Both sets purchased actually have some duplicate cards, which I may award to some lucky readers!

Stay tuned for more info!

Options open for Bourdais

RichardsF1    Driver Market, Former F1 Figures, Formula 1     Sebastien Bourdais, SuperLeague, Toro Rosso

Here’s someone we haven’t heard of in awhile! Obviously he feels his name hasn’t been bandied about by the press of late…!

Sébastien Bourdais is apparently "keeping his options open" (translation: desperate to drive anything) ahead of the 2010 racing season after a turbulent year in 2009. Having been rightly sacked by Toro Rosso after the German Grand Prix, the four-time ChampCar Champion has enjoyed success in the Superleague Formula.

Racing for Spain’s FC Sevilla, Frenchman Bourdais has already enjoyed race victories since joining the championship in which all outfits are run by international football teams. "The F1 story didn’t go as planned but that’s life," the 30-year-old explained to SunSport. "They (Toro Rosso) couldn’t help me in the way I wanted."

Bourdais claims he has put the disappointment behind him and admits that there are various possibilities for 2010; returning to America or continuing in Superleague are both feasible as well as an F1 comeback, should the circumstances be suitable.

"When you don’t have anything signed, anything is possible," Sébastien concluded. "If there is the right opportunity for F1, for sure, I’d be interested."

In other words, no one has approached you from the F1 fraternity!

Three drivers to test for Force India

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Force India, Karun Chandhok, Neel Jani, Paul di Resta

Neel Jani will test a Force India at the young driver test at Jerez early next month. Jani is a former test driver with Sauber and Toro Rosso, and has raced in GP2, A1GP (where he secured the 2007/8 championship for Switzerland), Champ Car and Le Mans.

It emerged earlier this week that DTM driver Paul di Resta, under contract to Mercedes-Benz’s motorsport programme, will also test with Force India at Jerez.

Switzerland’s Motorsport Aktuell said that Karun Chandhok could test alongside Jani, although the Indian driver’s appearance is yet to be confirmed.

Perhaps they will do so when he does a little manscaping to correct that horrific unibrow!

Williams: Equity sale ‘for private reasons’

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Sir Frank Williams, Williams

Team boss Sir Frank Williams has explained that full reasons for why he elected to sell part of his team will remain confidential; a minority interest of the former Champion squad has been sold off for the first time after he and co-owner Patrick Head made the joint decision.

An undisclosed amount of the Grove team has been sold to Austrian businessman and racer Christian ‘Toto’ Wolff, owner of Marchsixteen Investments and lap record holder of the notorious Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany.

"I’m 67 and I’m not going to live forever," Frank Williams explained to Reuters on Friday. "I’ve never taken any money out of the company. Time is getting on a little bit but I have no intention of losing control of this company or ceasing my Formula One activities."

Phew!

Although part of the team’s ownership may no longer be his, Sir Frank intends to continue running the outfit in the same manner as beforehand. "We are all just going to get on with our party," the Englishman continued. "I have absolutely no reason at this time of my life, career or health, to want to stop work.

"The sale is entirely for private motives. Speaking for myself, it’s time I paid a few bills – like my mortgage."

USF1 considering 12 drivers for 2010

RichardsF1    Driver Market, Formula 1     Alexander Wurz, Jacques Villeneuve, Jose Maria Lopez, Ken Anderson, Pedro de la Rosa, USF1

The USF1 team is assessing 12 drivers ahead of its first season in Formula 1 next year. The organisation, run by Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor, is yet to announce any part of its line-up although management is confident that, contrary to some reports, much progress is being made.

With the highly experienced Anderson and Windsor at the helm, the former is confident that – contrary to some reports – the outfit is not behind its fellow debutant teams as 2010 approaches. "We’re on schedule to complete out first chassis by November and the car will be completed in time for testing in February." American Team Principal Anderson told France’s AUTOhebdo.

Driver-wise, several names have been mentioned over the course of 2009, not least former F1 hotshot Alexander Wurz and 1997 Champion Jacques Villeneuve. Due to a lack of options in Europe and the difficulties to obtain an FIA Superlicence, however, Windsor has already cast doubts over whether an American driver will be recruited for the team’s first campaign.

Former Super Aguri driver Franck Montagny is also believed to be in touch as well as Argentina’s José María López who, after testing for Renault in 2006, visited the team’s factory on Thursday.

"The most important thing for us is to work with drivers who have experience in F1, simply because the number of test days has been decreased," Anderson continued, referring to the new limited testing regulations of this year. " Pedro de la Rosa is on our list – his F1 experience would be a major asset for us; our list has about twelve names on it – all are excellent drivers who could bring us a lot of money and choosing two or three of them will not be easy."

Happy birthday to Jacques Laffite

RichardsF1    Birthdays, Former F1 Figures, Formula 1     Jacques Laffite

A very happy birthday to Jacques Laffite, who celebrates his 66th birthday today!

Happy-go-lucky Laffite was one of the top F1 stars of the day and always retained his sense of humour in an era when other stars were taking life too seriously.

A six-time GP winner with a career spanning from 1972-86, Laffite became the first French driver to win a Grand Prix for a French constructor powered by a French engine. He raced for Williams and Ligier, driving two stints for each outfit.

At the 1986 British GP, he attempted to start his 176th F1 race, which would have equalled the late Graham Hill’s 10-year record. Swerving to avoid an accident at the Paddock Hill Bend, he plowed head on into the barricades and broke both ankles, ending his F1 career.

A respected F1 commentator for French television, he remains a popular and personable member of the F1 paddock.

Happy birthday Jacques!

Williams sells equity in the team

RichardsF1    Formula 1     Williams

Williams has announced that a minority interest of the team has been sold to an investment company headed by Austrian businessman and racer Christian ‘Toto’ Wolff, who also becomes a board member.

Although the exact percentage of the first ever shares sold by Williams has not been confirmed, team co-owners Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head confirmed the deal with the 37-year-old Vienna man, who speaks five languages and is currently living in Switzerland.

Having studied at the Vienna University of Economics between 1990 and 1994, Wolff’s latest business move came by setting up Marchsixteen Investments in 2004. He also has motorsport experiences dating back to 1992 and three years ago was runner-up in the Austrian Rally Championship as well as being winner of the Dubai 24 Hours endurance event.

What’s the rationale behind selling equity in the team? Is Sir Frank or Patrick looking to bail out?

Potential WRC options for Raikkonen

RichardsF1    Driver Market, Formula 1     Kimi Raikkonen, WRC

Two potential options have already emerged for a switch by Kimi Raikkonen to the World Rally Championship.

Finland’s Helsingin Sanomat reports that Norwegian team owner-driver Petter Solberg has confirmed that a space may be available for Raikkonen in his WRC team.

Citroen has also been mentioned this week by the press, with Spain’s Diario Sport initially reporting talks regarding the French marque.

France’s Auto Hebdo has now joined the party, claiming that a Raikkonen/Citroen deal could involve the backing of the Finn’s existing drinks sponsor Red Bull and a C4 WRC car.

A Raikkonen-Loeb battle would be a great fillip for the WRC!

Raikkonen: No talks with Mercedes GP

RichardsF1    Driver Market, Formula 1     Kimi Raikkonen, Mercedes GP

Kimi Räikkönen has denied having any discussions with Mercedes GP about a possible drive for 2010, and said that he will only be returning to Formula 1 should a competitive car be at his disposal in 2011. With McLaren negotiations failing and seemingly no other options open, the 2007 champion will now take at least one year off from Formula One after joining the field with Sauber in 2001.

"I felt that McLaren offered the best opportunity to win races and challenge for the Drivers’ Championship and if that would not work the one-year break is the result," he explained to the Formula1.com website after confirming his sabbatical.

"I will only return in 2011 if I can drive a competitive car," he said. "I do not want to race just to make up the numbers, that doesn’t interest me, but there’s a lot of time until then so let’s wait and see what happens in the months ahead."

Räikkönen added that "certain issues could not be resolved" with McLaren but did not elaborate if this referred to financial arrangements.

Contrary to the feelings of Manager Steve Robertson, a place at the Mercedes (née Brawn) team is no alternative, he feels. "I have not held talks with Brawn," he revealed. "I feel they will run two German drivers next year, now that Mercedes are involved."

At least we’ve heard Kimi’s side of the story!

Fry: No early exit for Button

RichardsF1    Catfights, Driver Market, Formula 1     Brawn GP, Jenson Button, Nick Fry

The bad blood continues following Jenson Button’s defection from Brawn GP to McLaren…

The Mercedes Grand Prix team (formerly Brawn GP), has reiterated that Button will remain under full contract with the team until the end of the year, meaning that he will not be able to take an active role as a McLaren driver until New Year’s Day.

Officially contracted to Brawn / Mercedes-Benz until December 31, Button’s work with McLaren will be postponed until the New Year, with his former team keeping a close eye on the activities of the World Champion.

With some teams having made agreements to release drivers early or make exceptions to deals – an example being Renault allowing Fernando Alonso to join the Ferrari World Finals in Valencia, or BMW allowing Robert Kubica to appear in rallies for Renault – Fry is explicitly clear with respect to Button’s contract situation.

"Jenson will not be doing anything at all for McLaren until the end of this calendar year," Nick Fry, Mercedes GP CEO, has told AUTOSPORT, "and if he does, we will be looking on it very dimly. He didn’t have any obligations to us for 2010 but there are issues with regards to the signing process, on which we are in discussion with him at the moment.

"There are clear constraints on what Jenson can do between now and the end of the year, which we will be rigorously enforcing," he continued.

Got that, Jenson?

[Original image via Reuters]

Schumacher linked to Mercedes-Benz GP

RichardsF1    Driver Market, Formula 1     Mercedes GP, Michael Schumacher

Another Schumacher coup?!

The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher could be set to make a shock comeback with the new Mercedes-Benz GP team.

Having purchased a 75 per cent stake in the Brawn GP team that won this year’s constructors’ championship with the German car maker’s engines, Mercedes-Benz has been open about seeking at least one German racing driver for the rebranded outfit.

The available German drivers on the 2009 grid, Nico Rosberg and Nick Heidfeld (with Timo Glock having recently been confirmed at Manor for 2010) have both been linked with the two seats available, and Rosberg is almost a certainty to sign with the new outfit having announced his departure from Williams.

Mercedes has always regretted never having a chance to run Schumacher in F1 in the McLaren F1 cars it has powered with much success since 1995. The closest it came was when former McLaren boss Ron Dennis admitted to having had serious discussions with Schumacher during the 2000 season.

Schumacher was on the verge of temporarily replacing the injured Felipe Massa in a Ferrari last season, only to be forced to abandon the plan due to a neck injury that he had not recovered from.

Schumacher, who will turn 41 in January, has retained an advisory role with Ferrari since retiring, though it has been reported the Italian marque no longer wants Schumacher as an advisor to its F1 team and instead wants him to only continue helping to develop its road cars.

New FIA President, Jean Todt, has also expressed his desire to have Schumacher by his side in some capacity within the FIA.

In response to the speculation, Schumacher’s long-time spokeswoman Sabine Kehm told Britain’s Autocar that "You never say never in this sport".

Schumacher would certainly be expected to sever his close ties with Ferrari entirely if he were to move to Mercedes, the car maker he drove for in sports cars before making his F1 break in 1991 with the Jordan F1 team.

I think someone is probably having a pipedream in their speculation, and as much as many would welcome Schumacher’s return, I highly doubt it would happen. But you can never say never!