F1 links: No F1 debut for Loeb

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Loeb will not make F1 debut in Abu Dhabi (James Allen)

"According to colleagues in the French media, Loeb has not been able to get a superlicence and so cannot race." Tip of the hat to Andy who made that very point in the comments here two weeks ago.

The remarkable story of Brawn GP (BBC)

"Weeks before the car got on the track. we were told by one of the aero guys that we would be two seconds quicker than anyone else. I knew we'd made a number of big steps over the cars we'd done before, but even so, we'd had two years of dogs, and I thought the bloody aerodynamicists had got their numbers wrong again."

Jenson Button expects to double his money as reward for title (The Guardian)

"Button took a £5m pay cut at the beginning of the season to help the Brawn team, who had risen from the ashes of Honda. He is believed to anticipate, at the very least, a return to the £8m level he had originally been promised for 2009. Button said yesterday that he wanted to stay with Brawn, having been with the team in its various forms since 2003."

Jenson Button may lose edge until Brawn can build up its strength once again (The Guardian)

Ross Brawn: "We had a team of people who worked through a whole winter – 60 or 70 hours a week or whatever it took – not knowing if they had a future. It's been an exceptional experience, seeing people who were facing being put out on the street but didn't give up. There were days when I went home thinking it wasn't going to happen. But we had a management group of five people who saw no alternative but to find a solution. We all got down about it occasionally, but fortunately not at the same time."

Donington line up Sir Rodney Walker to rescue Grand Prix bid (Daily Telegraph)

"Donington management are hopeful that news of Walker's appointment, which was hurried out on Monday night, will help secure the full £135 million they are seeking from a bond issue launched last week."

Damon Hill: Now Jenson Button can go up another gear (Daily Mail)

"Who is the best? I don’t know, but I am sure Jenson would like to test himself alongside Hamilton in the same car. In fact, if Kimi Raikkonen has not yet signed for McLaren, then it would be great to see the two British drivers together. It would add excitement to the sport. Schumacher, for example, damaged his reputation by not racing against a top team-mate, whereas we remember the great internal rivalries between Prost and Senna, Mansell and Piquet."

FIA Election (FIA)

"Following today’s meeting to agree procedures for the upcoming FIA elections, Ari Vatanen has withdrawn his court application."One of the points the FIA conceded was that voters would be able to mark their ballots in secrecy, to avoid coercion. It really shouldn't have needed the threat of court action to make them concede that point.

Paddock Life: Interlagos edition (Autosport)

"With the world distracted by Button, Hamilton was able to quietly slip into the Morumbi cemetery when Senna is laid – and offer a few thoughts for his idol. 'It's an awesome place, very simple, just a plaque. For me it was special,' said Hamilton about his visit. 'It was only a matter of time before I did it.'"

These are links I’ve bookmarked using Delicious. You can see my Delicious profile here.

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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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7 comments on “F1 links: No F1 debut for Loeb”

  1. excellent news that the secrecy ballot is now happening!, but you know the drill… anyone who opts for the secret ballot is an enemy of Max.

  2. it sounds like damon hill is stating the obvious: to truly determine the best driver, everyone needs identical cars.

    fortunately, there are plenty of series that can facilitate that. unfortunately, nobody gives a damn.

    1. And it’s been discussed elsewhere on this blog that it’s unlikely a team will employ two drivers of the same nationality, limiting the team’s marketing potential.

    2. Even when drivers have the same car you get people claiming the car was designed for one of the drivers or the team favoured one of them over the other.

  3. This Donington bond issue is a mess. That Telegraph article says the return to investors has been promised at 15%, which means the track has to make nearly £5m profit a year for the next seven years. Meanwhile Silverstone has recently announced its 2008 profits at £660k, which is regarded as pretty decent.

  4. Thanks Keith – shame Loeb hadn’t read the regulations as closely as I had!

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