Bob Barnard Track Engineering

The head of the Bahrain circuit was in Silverstone and was not happy with the "temperamental" F1 Teams. They loved us one month and then did not want to come the next. Well perhaps that's because you were not shooting people before? He particularly took exception to Webber's comments and said Australia had a problem with it's Aborigines so why did they have a GP? Well, the last time we shot one was quite a while ago, and while I know there are still issues they do enjoy equal opportunity despite being a minority, unlike the majority Shiites. The outcome of all this is that their place on the 2012 calendar is by no means safe, and the teams apparently want it moved to a later date so as not to be so conspicuous.

He also had a swipe at the US over Guantanamo, but Austin still has it's own problems. It sounds as if Building Approval has yet to be given for the structures, pits and grandstands. Now there is still plenty of time, but why is this taking so long? A scheduled meeting of the Government Liaison Committee was postponed so a vote required for the Texas State Funds has yet to take place.

Following on from Mark Webber's reluctance to accept team orders the rumors have resurfaced that he will not be in a Red Bull next season. Even Kimi's name has been reported by a German newspaper as the man to replace him despite Horner earlier laughing off of the suggestion. Ricciardo's sudden elevation to a F1 drive also prompted stories that he will replace Mark, but that seems a bit far fetched as good as he is. Even Vettel did not make that jump. So is this the start of the silly season? Williams seem set to keep their two, Ferrari are always reported to be replacing Massa, and Michael slated to retire again. Hamilton may or may not jump ship, but where to? You can't see Lewis "maintaining the gap" however many times Horner tells him.

Curious report about Mercedes being happy with their new exhaust diffuser system they fitted for Silverstone. Didn't we ban these for Silverstone and beyond, so why would you come out with a new system if you did not know you were going to be able to use it?

 

Hot on the heels of the concerns raised about Lotus Renault finances there is a very interesting piece by Joe Saward today on the goings on behind the scenes.

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/

As I said, Tony Fernandes only has to wait this out. It also seems the question of drivers is far from over with Grosjean's name being mentioned despite a less than stellar performance last time out in F1, and a falling out between Kubica's manager and Lopez from GenII Capital.

Reports are coming in that the crane at the chicane in Monaco is to be moved so the run off can be moved back another 20 meters. The logic is that an accident there will bring out a red flag or safety car so there is no rush to move a car, but that is not necessarily true if it is down the escape road. Still, as often is the case it is a choice between less than perfect options. I forgot to comment on the removal of Maldanado's car in less than a lap last weekend, that's less then a minute from when the leaders were expected, so great job. If you read the comments my view on tires is "old fashioned'" but perhaps so am I and glad to be. At the Circuit Forum in Cologne last year Hubert Gramling, scientific adviser to the FIA Institute, proved that straw bales actually worked better, how old fashioned can you get! No one is suggesting going back to them as they of course catch fire and make a mess when you hit them, but it goes to show that not all new ideas are better. Remember when catch fences were all the rage, and then gravel, ploughed this way and that, and now we have asphalt everywhere.  Yes you can go under tires, but Perez was not so far from going under the Tecpro, especially if he went in nose first. Anyway, I am happy to spark debate and will publish all comments even if they disagree with me.

It seems that Rosberg is re-signing with Mercedes up to 2016. He must believe Ross Brawn when he says the 2012 car will be "excellent."

Someone not keen to extend a relationship seems to be Virgin who are reported to be looking to tie up with McLaren in a similar way as Force India. Sorry Nick Worth and Cosworth. Still, Cosworth look like picking up Lotus Renault next year. Lotus Cosworth? Now that has a familiar ring to it.

Bahrain's "state of emergency" is lifted today. Now what? The FIA says it will listen to the teams, who object to the calendar being extended but will not come out in public and say they do not want to go. Gutless.

So Turkey turned out to be a turkey for Michael. It brought him "no big joy." Must be a German expression. Still, Mercedes say he has their complete support. I think that is what Williams said about Sam Michael about a day before he quit. In the same web site Johnny Herbert is predicting Michael will retire again at the end of the season. So take your pick. It was very strange how he was right on the pace up to the Q3 session, and then lost it.

His old mate Rubens is saying the FIA decision to allow the DRS system at Monaco is wrong. The answer is simple Rubens, don't use it. The FIA is not saying you have to use it, only that you can, and as the driver you have the choice. Talk to your mates and just agree that you won't use it, and then see who does!

Trulli picked up that the tire situation is changing qualifying. This format was put in place to make sure the punters had cars on track to watch, but now it seems teams would rather sit in the garage and conserve tires.

Poor Max Mosley lost his case in the EU Court to have the nasty media tell people before they write bad things about them so they can obtain an injunction. He is looking very bitter and twisted these days. What's he going to look like when Rupert runs F1?

D'Ambrosio is supposedly in danger of losing his drive in the Virgin as his sponsors have not paid up. I wonder why? Could it be the lack of performance of the team and lack of exposure?

So Bernie says the return of the Austrian GP is possible, and Turkey is saying talks yesterday made it 50% more likely it will stay on the calendar. Not sure if that means the price only went up 50% of what Bernie was asking or not. So who is going to miss out? Getting awfully crowded.

To follow up my piece on why we do not see great races and series from around the world I have asked a series of friends questions on the reasons and costs. Chet Burks who's company produces many motorsport race coverages told me the obvious, that the audience is not big enough for the big channels. But here we are, Sunday afternoon prime time and we have two hours of World Superbike on. Now Gill Cambell from Laguna told me the other week she thought there were no more than 65,000 fans for MotoGP in the US, so one would suspect a similar number for Superbike. Don't tell me there are not more than that for races like the Spa 6 hour that ran yesterday. I would suspect that the F1 audience would crossover to endurance given the similar high tech of the cars. So how is Superbike on TV? Someone like Honda or Yamaha must be paying for it I suspect. Pity Peugeot do not sell cars here, and Audi do not seem too bothered it is not shown.

Just for fun I logged on to MotorsTV, an English channel which does show all those great series we do not see. It goes to most of Europe, and I know there all sorts of rights issues, but surely someone can do something similar here, or just buy the MotorsTV feed? But I am just a simple track builder, what would I know?

Good racing from Turkey. Lots of overtaking, not quite sure if that is what I want to see the way it is happening, but you have to be impressed by how clean the boys kept it. A few biffs and barges, but basically everyone making room. Lee Diffey carrying on about a record number of pit stops. Personally I do not tune in to watch pit stops, it is about racing not stopping and parking. Sorry to harp on it but if overtaking and pit stops are the measure of great racing watch an endurance race! Not sure how many passes there are a lap, and yes there are cars of different performance out there, but each pass has to be judged just right. Back to F1, it is good to see Ferrari and Mercedes so competitive, makes for more interesting races. Also interesting to see Bridgestone advertising during the race. They worked out you do not need to supply the tires to get coverage, especially when the tires of your competitor are wearing out so fast. Ambush marketing anybody?

Speaking of Superbike, good racing from Monza. As with Turkey you get good racing on fast tracks.

The buy out of CVC continues to be the main story with some interesting side bars. The timing of these cannot be a coincidence. Ferrari has come out with a statement that "Ferrari believes that big decisions need to be made soon about the future direction of Formula 1 - as it suggested more needs to be invested by its chiefs to promote the sport." They say that they are impartial on ownership, but if CVC stays then they must invest in promoting the sport. Clearly the teams think that News Corp with their media muscle will do a better job on this score, and I have first hand experience of what they can do when they worked with me on promoting the Australian Motorcycle GP back in '89. Domenicali has made a number of statements in the past few days, continuing the push about F1 being too dominated by aerodynamics and not about engines, which is inversely proportional to the road car business. There are reports that "teams are indeed setting out plans for simple and stable rules post 2012, the revival of key European venues, reduced ticket prices and the modernizing of media platforms for the younger audience." Admirable goals for true enthusiasts I would think.

There are some clear messages being coordinated here, more promotion, stable rules with more emphasis on other components of the car, keeping the current engine, and reviewing where they are racing. There is a meeting scheduled in Stuttgart of Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull to discuss the buy-out, and it is suggested to join it. And at last an un-named team boss has come out and said what I have been saying, KERS as it is used now, is not "green." Only used for acceleration, increases the car's weight so uses more fuel, and then you have to dispose of the batteries. Someone had to say it. KERS is like the DRS, there to spice up the show, so stop pretending it's green. Capturing wasted energy is a worthwhile objective, but not like this.

Meanwhile, there is some real racing going on at Spa with the Audi fastest on the first day. It is all very close among the diesels, but the best petrol car, the Rebellion Toyota is 5 secs off the pace. In the GT class it is all Ferrari.

Virgin says it hopes to "turn the corner" in Turkey. I hope so, there are lot of them.