good job alonso

renault is struggling because alonso is not with them now?

the F1 Race producer make me sick. keep focus on the stupid BMW car when McLaren and Ferrari were out. KNN la...never seen such a retarded producer. Only Brazil and Malaysia are so darn bias

Bernie Ecclestone has rolled out the old rhetoric whilst urging Sepang to improve the venue for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

With a contract only for a few more years, and nearby Singapore high in the F1 supremo's affection, he told the local newspaper New Straits Times that Sepang is looking 'shabby' after nine years of hosting the sport.

And invoking memories of Ecclestone's attitude towards Silverstone, he said of the Malaysian GP circuit: "It has become like an old house that needs a bit of redecorating.

"It's starting to get a little shabby and looks a bit tired."

Ecclestone also criticised circuit organisers for letting rubbish build up 'all over the place' at Sepang.

Meanwhile, F1's annual schedule could increase to 18 or 19 races next year, and twenty by 2010.

That is the insistence of Ecclestone, who looks set to sweep aside complaints that Formula One is already arduous with 17 Grand Prix in '07.

The 76-year-old Briton rejected McLaren boss Ron Dennis' suggestion in Malaysia that too many races every year could start to dilute people's interest in F1.

"Well, people follow football and there are millions of matches," Bernie responded on Sunday in an interview with the Straits Times newspaper.

"What we have to do is extend the championship period. At the moment we have a four-and-a-half month off-period, so we can start a bit earlier and end a bit later."

E.A.

instead of welcoming competition from singapore, we have to "beg" singapore not to compete with us

The turnout of 115,000, confirmed by F1's governing body, compares to the 107,000 who turned out to watch Michael Schumacher's last race in the country in early 2006.

The news has given momentum to Sepang's bid for a three or five-year extension beyond the end of its current contract, after Malaysian Prime Minister attended the circuit on Sunday and met with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

35,000 spectators turned up for qualifying on Saturday, but the measly 4,000 on Friday made the grandstands appear bare.

Sepang boss Datuk Mokhzani Tun Mahathir, however, confirmed that the PM and Ecclestone met this weekend, revealing: "We will discuss further with Ecclestone to extend the duration of the contract to host the F1 races here."

D.B.
Source GMM

A controversy in Germany is brewing over the anthem played on the podium following Fernando Alonso's victory for McLaren Mercedes in Malaysia.

After German commentators hailed the win as a triumph for the three-pointed star, some viewers were surprised to hear Britain's 'God Save The Queen' mark the occasion for the winning constructor.

McLaren is based in England, but Mercedes-Benz - with a 40 per cent stake in the team - is the largest shareholder.

The major German newspaper Bild-Zeitung argues that the national anthem 'Das Lied der Deutschen' - made so famous on the F1 podium by the 91 victories of Michael Schumacher - should be played whenever a McLaren greets the chequered flag first.

On behalf of Germany, Bild said the McLaren MP4-22 is 'OUR car!'

"It is difficult to understand," said former German F1 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck.

"The heart of the silver arrows is in Germany," he added, referring to Mercedes motorsport's Stuttgart HQ.

Mercedes' Norbert Haug reacted: "I can understand the feeling of the German fans. But we are an international team and the really important thing is that we win, not what is heard on the podium."

Source GMM
CAPSIS International

After Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton embraced in Malaysia's parc ferme, McLaren chiefs said they were not worried that the relationship could turn sour as the 2007 season grinds on.

But there is already tension within the silver-lined garage walls, as reports in the Spanish press reveal.

According to one source, Alonso's manager Luis Garcia-Abbot became so frustrated with McLaren team members' one-sided enthusiasm for rookie Lewis Hamilton in Australia that he opted to watch qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix from the tranquillity of the Renault pits.

To the Diario As newspaper, McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh insisted that championship leader Alonso should not become the forgotten man.

"It is right to admire what Lewis is doing but Fernando is a great world champion and someone who is making an enormous contribution to our team," he said.

As also pointed out that, although Hamilton achieved the best overall lap on Sunday, no fewer than 16 of the 20 fastest laps of the Malaysian Grand Prix belonged to Alonso.

E.A.
Source GMM

A third team has reportedly joined the race to lure Ross Brawn back to Formula One.

With Ferrari and Honda already said to be tussling to sign up the renowned technical and strategic expert after his current sabbatical, Germany's Bild newspaper now says McLaren wants Brawn for 2008.

It is rumoured that the 52-year-old Briton, who at the Maranello based team presided over Michael Schumacher's five Ferrari titles until the German retired last year, is keen to return to the sport but only with an outfit based in England.

"McLaren could offer a multitude of projects that Ross could lead," Bild quotes an insider as saying.

Ferrari boss Jean Todt, however, this week insisted that the Italian team should be first in line if Brawn wants to return to pitlane.

"We agreed with him that should he decide to come back and remain in this business, he would come to me first to discuss it together," widespread reports quote the Frenchman as saying.

Previously, Brawn was linked with the top job at Ferrari, with Todt said to be eager to retire as Team Principal in the near future.

He added: "Maybe (Brawn) does not want to be in racing. Maybe he wants to be in another part of competition, but we can discuss that."

Source GMM
CAPSIS International

The start should be a little more entertaining in 2008
F1's drivers have generally welcomed the impending ban on traction control.

The FIA confirmed last month that the electronic driver aid will not be allowed in 2008, after it was reintroduced to Formula One in 2001 following a previous ban that fell in 1993.

"I think it's going to be more fun," said Kimi Raikkonen, "although for sure it's going to make it more difficult to drive over the race distance, so it's not going to always be fun."

The reintroduction of the ban has been made possible because of the standardisation of F1 cars' ECU, which will make it harder to illegally replicate traction control.

Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella described the ban as a 'good option' for the sport. "It's good to make it more difficult for the drivers," the Roman said.

"When I first drove in Formula One with no traction control it was more fun, more difficult because it's more in the hands of the drivers to judge the traction at the exit of the slow corners."

Veteran David Coulthard, however, played down the probable impact of the ban, insisting that the only noticeable difference might be in wet races.

Indeed, it emerged recently that Super Aguri ran nearly the entire 2006 season without a traction control system - and almost no-one knew.


Coulthard said: "I think in dry conditions, the driver has an in-built traction control system and that won't change."

Williams' Nico Rosberg agrees that the impact of traction control is usually overestimated, arguing that with or without the system it is difficult to drive an F1 car.

"I think you still need to control (the car) yourself with the foot occasionally," he said, "so it is not going to make a huge difference."

But Renault test driver Nelson Piquet Jr, fresh out of GP2, observed that in F1's feeder series - where traction control is not allowed - there is usually more overtaking per race.

He said a big part of the difference in quality between F1 and GP2 races 'is the driver controlling his foot on the accelerator' on the exit of corners, leading to more mistakes and more variable tyre wear in GP2.

E.A.
Source GMM

Former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has accused the media of tarnishing sales of his debut album.

The French Canadian recently turned his attention to releasing 'Private Paradise' - a self-confessed semi-professional attempt to step up his hobby as a singer and songwriter.

But Villeneuve, who turned 36 this week, lashed out at Montreal tabloid Le Journal for claiming that a mere 233 copies of the album have been sold so far.

Instead, the former F1 driver thinks a figure of between 1,200 and 1,500 is more accurate, and branded the journalists responsible for the fit-up as 'idiots'.

He said bad publicity due to the media not taking his project seriously has had a 'huge negative effect' on sales.

Referring to the figures, Villeneuve admits: "They're not great (but) it's actually not that bad."

"We were at 49 (in the charts), which is acceptable in the first week," he told Hour.ca. "Position 20 on the chart was about 50 CDs more. So it was taken out of context and people thought, 'Oh wow, that's really a piece of shit.'"

E.A.
Source GMM

Qualification, Saturday 14 Apr, 2007, RTM2, 12am
Race, Sunday 15 Apr, 2007, RTM2, 12.30am

Fernando Alonso and McLaren Mercedes will struggle to maintain their winning form in Bahrain this weekend.

That is the belief of two engineers who worked alongside the reigning World Champion and current championship leader when he drove for Renault.

"I believe that Ferrari underestimated what Fernando is able to do at Sepang; one of his favourite circuits," Denis Chevrier, Renault's engine chief, told the Spanish newspaper Diario As.

"For that reason they made some bad decisions, made worse by their drivers' bad starts."

"But I think Ferrari will be much more competitive in Bahrain," Chevrier said.

Indeed, Ferrari dominated the last test of the 2007 pre-season, which was held at the venue for the Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir.

Remi Taffin, Alonso's former engine race engineer at Renault, agrees with Chevrier that the Sepang winner is simply a better driver than many of his rivals on the Malaysian layout.

"Another point is that the McLaren is very good aerodynamically," the Frenchman said. "But here, at Sakhir, there are few fast corners; only slow ones.

"In my view that gives Ferrari the advantage. At Spa, Fernando could be unbeatable, but some of the circuits coming up will not be so easy for him."

E.A.

Eh...got la.
Quali - Saturday ASTRO #82 at 7.00pm
Race - Sunday ASTRO #82 at 8.00pm

Poor coverage locally or internationally?

ralf is overrated i think...but i rly hope heidfeld remain wif sauber...sauber powered by bmw...sure better than toyota