Rumours

With Barrichello, de la Rosa, Alonso and Raikkonen Ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, the fourth round of the championship, the Thursday FIA press conference featured Honda racer Rubens Barrichello, McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa, Renault?s Fernando Alonso and championship leader Kimi Raikkonen…

Barrichello, de la Rosa, Alonso & Raikkonen take questions Rubens Barrichello, Pedro de la Rosa, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen take questions from the media ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix…

With the arrival of the European Grand Prix to Spanish shores this year, Spain will host two races in 2008. Before the new Valencia street circuit makes headlines in August, however, there is this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya to look forward to. The race may have been a fixture on […]

F1 should be in rude health. Formula One Management says that the TV figures were up last year to give the sport 597 million unique viewers, the on-track action is a little less predictable than in recent years and the (almost complete) departure of tobacco sponsors has seen big-spending banks take their place.
So why […]

The Spanish news agency EFE reports that in response to parliamentary requests from the environmental group Verda, the European parliament`s environment commissioner Stavros Dimas is to investigate possible violations by the organisers of ther forthcoming European GP on the streets of Valencia.
Previously, the European Commission has dismissed Verda`s formal objection to the entire F1 project […]

We all know that Max Mosley`s future as president of the FIA depends on a vote at the federation`s Extraordinary General Assembly on 3 June. It is also well known that the FIA has 222 members and, according to he FIA`s press release of 3 April, "the full membership of the FIA will be invited […]

Fanatical followers of F1 will have noticed that the sport has been missing one of its marketing tools for a few years now - the official videogame which last graced Sony`s PlayStation 3 games console in 2006. Usually the F1 games come out every year but with no new edition this year or last we […]

Three races in and the 2008 world championship has a very different complexion to that which was being predicted pre-season. BMW Sauber lead Ferrari and McLaren in the constructors’ table, the German-Swiss team having already recorded their first fastest race lap and a maiden pole position.
There are surprises too in the midfield, with an improved […]

With the first three flyaway races complete, the teams finally have a chance to catch their breath, regroup and get in some much-needed testing before the start of the ‘European season’ in Spain later this month.
But who has used Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain to lay down firm foundations for their 2008 campaigns? And who […]

Mario Theissen in Bahrain had no time for suggestions that BMW Sauber`s evolution into a truly top team will have stirred the interest of Fernando Alonso. When asked about his future earlier this weekend, Alonso confirmed that he is on the market for a winning seat in 2009, mentioning both Ferrari and BMW as potentially […]

Fernando Alonso is leaving open the possibility that he might switch teams again at the end of 2008.The Spaniard escaped from a three year McLaren contract after just one unhappy instalment in 2007, returning this season to the scene of his two drivers` world titles.But his new two-year Renault contract includes a clause that will […]

BMW Sauber do not want to commit themselves to any hierarchical order at the moment, to quote technical director Willy Rampf, but there is absolutely no doubt that they head into this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir determined to keep up their good work and to do everything that they can to challenge the […]

It was inevitable that the allegations regarding Max Mosley`s extra-curricular activities would lead to a slew of other stories about the man. Although Pitpass isn`t the place to find tales of whips and chains, other than when Editor Chris Balfe is eulogising The Velvet Underground and their classic Venus in Furs, when the revelations are […]

Among the many folders in Outlook, I have one simply titled, `assholes`. I am sure you can imagine what sort of e-mails are filed away in there.
There have been several new additions to the folder in the past couple of days, all from readers demanding to know why Pitpass hasn`t been covering the ongoing `Mosley […]

Luca di Montezemolo has rubbished speculation that Felipe Massa`s seat at Ferrari is in danger. Massa has had a difficult start to the 2008 season, with retirements in both the Australian and Malaysian Grand Prix. But to the website of the Italian language La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ferrari President Montezemolo would not entertain rumours that […]

The removal of traction control has certainly been a talking point at the start of the 2008 Formula One season. The Bahrain International Circuit, location of the third round of the championship, is a track where traction is important because the circuit layout has a number of tight corners leading on to short straights.
In […]

Nick Fry reacted with surprise to speculation that he could emerge as Team Principal of the newly Magma-controlled Super Aguri.It is believed that Fry, Honda`s former team boss and now the Japanese squad`s CEO, was instrumental in bringing together the struggling former owner Aguri Suzuki with takeover group Magma chief Martin Leach.But when asked if […]

A Ferrari spokesman has plainly dismissed rumours that a deal is already in place to put Fernando Alonso alongside Kimi Raikkonen at the Italian team in 2009.“There is no arrangement at all with Fernando and Ferrari,” he is quoted as saying by The Times.“We have two drivers already contracted for next year - Mr […]

Fernando Alonso on Sunday admitted that Felipe Massa`s mistakes are likely to increase speculation about his own future at Ferrari.After finishing just eighth in his Renault in Malaysia, the Spaniard was asked by his local press corps about rumours linking him with becoming Kimi Raikkonen`s team-mate next year.“It is too early to talk about team […]

Felipe Massa`s newly married wife was unimpressed with speculation linking her husband with an early exit from Ferrari.It has been rumoured all week in Malaysia that, despite the Brazilian driver`s ongoing contract with the Italian team, Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso are in fact more likely to be driving the red car in 2009.On live […]

Toro Rosso co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz has played down persisting rumours that Sebastian Vettel could end up racing a Ferrari in 2009.Even though the Austrian billionaire intends to sell his Red Bull stake in Gerhard Berger`s team next year, Mateschitz rubbished speculation that the prized young German driver is also on the move.He said there is […]

David Coulthard could still be a fixture of the Formula One paddocks next year, even if he is no longer on the grid.The Scot, who is the oldest active driver in F1, is adamant that his racing days are not nearing an end, even after thirteen years at the pinnacle of the sport.“Something you are […]

Ferrari and McLaren were poised to slug it out in the Malaysian Grand Prix, after the red cars enjoyed a small but significant advantage in qualifying. Then the McLarens were dropped five places for impeding other drivers. Can they fight back, or will it be BMW Sauber, or even Toyota, challenging the world champions?
The other […]

Clearly, after the first day of practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix, it is going to be close between McLaren and Ferrari for the rest of the weekend. That is an obvious conclusion to a day that saw several teams running light to achieve apparently promising times.
Generally, the new surface at Sepang required some […]