Nurburgring optimistic over 2013 race | F1 Fanatic round-up

Nurburgring optimistic over 2013 race is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

In the round-up: The Nurburgring expects to retain its F1 race next year despite its recent financial problems.

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

Boosted Nurburgring ‘very optimistic’ about F1 (GP Update)

“After months of wrangling, the contracts for the Formula 1, 24-hour race and the Truck Grand Prix are at last completed. The contact with Bernie Ecclestone was never lost and over the summer break we shall endeavour to negotiate the final deal for 2013.”

Monisha Kaltenborn Q&A: Sauber shooting for P5 (F1)

“We have to move closer and get things sorted out together, because this is not the land of plenty – we have to meet the challenges of the global economic situation. We also have to see that the complex rules and standards are a slimmed down a bit to make them more understandable. It is not good – neither for the teams nor the fans – that regulations are changed almost on a yearly basis.”

Webber turns Olympic spectator in break (Reuters)

“I know other teams have been asked to address things with their cars, but they (the FIA directives) are not for general consumption. And some of ours do make the general consumption, which is just the way it’s been.”

A Million Miles Away – Half Term Report with Eric Boullier (Lotus)

“I’m looking forward to having similar weekends to what we saw in Hungary because I think that things are coming together well now. Both drivers are very eager to do well, both them and the race team are starting to really deliver with the car, as is everybody back at Enstone.”

Mark Webber targets first win in Spa (Daily Express)

“We’ll deal with the championship situation later in the season. But I love Spa and I’d love to win there for the first time.”

Senna optimistic of securing future (Autosport)

“Everybody needs opportunities to grow up and this is mine. I need an opportunity to grow up and develop with the team. It’s probably the hardest season in Formula 1 for who knows how many years. With a tenth of a second you can be five or six positions up.”

The season so far – Jaime Alguersuari (BBC)

“It has been very enjoyable trying to commentate on it, never quite knowing what will happen. A big reason for this is the fantastic job being done by the FIA to make F1 fairer for all the teams, especially the ones with smaller budgets.”

The Invisible Divide (F1 Elvis)

Former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley on the 2007 season: “The unavoidable tension didn’t take long to spread throughout the team. Fernando tried desperately to rally his own side of the garage with ‘perks’ for people associated with his car and Lewis played his best media games, notably a display of shaking hands with the entire team whenever the TV cameras came in pre-race.”

Surtees karting race offers big prizes (MotorSport)

“A GP3 test with Carlin Motorsport and a simulation session at the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team are just two of the amazing prizes on offer to young racing drivers, at a unique ‘all-stars’ karting event organised by racing legend John Surtees this autumn.”

Bricking it: Tyrrell P34 replica made from Lego (WTF1)

“Brickself user ‘Roscopc’ has made an awesome replica Tyrrell P34 out of Lego.”

Comment of the day

Lots more suggestions for races to watch during the summer break:

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on 12th August!
Gee Halen

Lotus Festival at Brands Hatch on August 18-19 will have classic F1 demonstration runs: 1968 Lotus 49B, 1979 Lotus 97T, Lotus 102, 1989 Lotus 101 and the 1962 Lotus 22

Racing-wise, it doesn’t get any better than full grids of Elise Trophy, Lotus Cup UK and Production BMW, amongst others, on the Grand Prix circuit.
Racingfanatic96

Also, Saturday August 18th, Jacques Villeneuve will be at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve running a Penske car in the Nationwide series.
Robbie

Can I add this weekend is also Croft Nostalgia weekend.

For us northerners its the closest we get to Goodwood! A mix of F2, F5000, Formula Ford, Touring Cars, GT’s, and Mini Coopers from the 40s thru 70s.

Can’t wait!
Euro Brun

I’ll be at the Grand-Am race at Mid-Ohio which runs on Saturday before the Indy Cars. If anyone else will be up there this weekend, come say hi :). I’ll be wearing this t-shirt.
Joey-Poey

From the forum

• Some readers are finding Lotus’s cardboard E20 a bit of a challenge
• Comparing the new Honda Civic built to S2000 touring car rules with the NGTC racer
• The WRC Rally of Finland heads into the final day
• New feature: Embedding Tweets in forum posts

Happy birthday!

No F1 Fanatic birthdays today.

If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

The poisonous internal politics at McLaren (alluded to in one of the links above) exploded into public view on this day five years ago.

Their drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso became involved in a dispute over which should have the preferred running position during qualifying, leading to Alonso being stripped of pole position and setting in motion a chain of events which ended with McLaren being excluded from the constructors’ championship and fined $100m.

It began when Hamilton refused to allow Alonso past him as arranged during qualifying. Alonso retaliated by blocking Hamilton in the pits, which earned him a penalty.

An angry Alonso then threatened McLaren team principal Ron Dennis he would reveal damning information about McLaren’s use of intellectual property relating to Ferrari’s car it had obtained via their rival team’s disaffected former employee Nigel Stepney. It was this which eventually led to McLaren’s expulsion and fine, and Alonso’s departure from the team.

There remains much untold about this deeply controversial tale. Stepney is understood to be preparing to reveal his version of events in a forthcoming book.

• 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying: Alonso’s tainted triumph
• The stewards’ full verdict on McLaren and Alonso
• Alonso and de la Rosa’s emails led to McLaren’s punishment

Image © Red Bull/Getty images

Nurburgring optimistic over 2013 race is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

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Leandro Beccheroni Hans Becker Alex Bedford Günter Beer Albert Beirle