http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/ en Copyright 2010 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:54:10 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss
Mike Gascoyne is unhappy with Autosport's coverage © Getty Images
The editor of leading motorsport magazine Autosport, Andrew van de Burgt, has landed himself in trouble with Team Lotus technical boss Mike Gascoyne. Autosport’s recent coverage of the Lotus v Lotus saga said that Group Lotus linking up with Renault meant that "The real Lotus is back". "Lots of fans unhappy with the Autosport articles this week, me too," commented Gascoyne on Twitter. It was reported that Van de Burgt defended his magazine’s coverage on Team Lotus' official Facebook page before deleting it, insisting that Tony Fernandes' 2010 entry under the Lotus name was "a cynical attempt to generate publicity and sponsorship". "The Lotus buy-in of Renault is to promote and sell Lotus road and race cars - the whole reason Chapman set up Team Lotus in the first place. No hoax. Stop over-reacting," said van de Burgt. The Autosport editor clarified on Monday that the excerpt linked by Gascoyne was extracted from a private letter and used without permission and that he is now seeking legal advice. ]]> http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/12/autosport_editor_in_hot_water.php http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/12/autosport_editor_in_hot_water.php Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:54:10 +0000
Martin Brundle made light of the incident © Getty Images
McLaren's communications department appears to have some questions to answer after an email gaffe late on Wednesday left some members of the media venting their anger. The team sent an email to the regular recipients of its press releases asking them to update their contact details ahead of the 2011 season but McLaren forgot to hide the email id of the 'priority' and 'general' media distribution lists, meaning that hundreds of recipients pressing 'reply all' accidently sent their details to members of the media all over the world. The mistake caused inboxes to become flooded with emails. Some journalists vented their anger but others, including former F1 driver and BBC commentator Martin Brundle, saw the funny side. "What a ridiculous **** up," wrote Brundle. "Brilliant. Hello everybody. My Blackberry battery is not prepared for this. Happy Christmas." On Twitter, the saga is now known as 'McLarenmailgate'. ]]> http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/12/mclaren_email_gaffe_irritates.php http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/12/mclaren_email_gaffe_irritates.php Thu, 09 Dec 2010 08:27:28 +0000
Yet another headache in a testing year © Getty Images
Felipe Massa was waiting for his boat to collect him from a marina when his captain suffered a seizure and the boat crashed. The boat was cruising on an island near the beach of Guaruja off Sao Paulo's south coast when the 50 foot vessel veered off course and hit rocks, damaging the boat's hull beyond repair. Massa's spokesperson Marcio Fonseca revealed that the Ferrari driver was in contact with the captain when the incident occurred but that he is now okay. "Suddenly, Felipe could no longer talk to him. Felipe ran to the scene to see if all was well. He [the captain] was taken to hospital but he's ok, only some light bruises." ]]> http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/12/massas_captain_crashes_his_boa.php http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/12/massas_captain_crashes_his_boa.php Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:26:00 +0000
"See what people will do for a Hublot." © Hublot
Ever the entrepreneur, Bernie Ecclestone has turned his own violent mugging into a commercial opportunity. The F1 supremo was viciously punched and kicked in London in late November and his expensive Hublot watch was stolen from his wrist. Once recovered sufficiently from the initial shock of the incident, Ecclestone sent a photo of himself showing his injuries along with a short note to the CEO of Hublot. As the two men share a sense of humour, they agreed to make an advert to be published in the Financial Times and the International Herald Tribute on Wednesday. A photo of the Ecclestone’s battered face appears on a print advert for his sport's official watch sponsor, including the Ecclestone attributed quote: "See what people will do for a Hublot."]]> http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/12/battered_bernie_appears_in_wat.php http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/12/battered_bernie_appears_in_wat.php Tue, 07 Dec 2010 13:54:31 +0000
Michael Schumacher makes a pit stop © Getty Images
Although the Mercedes team did not field the best car in 2010 it had the fastest pit crew in pitlane. That is the result of an analysis by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport which showed that the team turned around Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg faster in pitstops than any rival outfit. The fastest stop in was 2.9 seconds, achieved by the Red Bull crew during a Sebastian Vettel pit stop at Monza. But overall, Mercedes' was the fastest crew, emerging with the quickest stop of the race on eight occasions - in Malaysia, Turkey, Germany, China, Spain, Monaco, Britain and Belgium. Red Bull was next best, changing the RB6's tyres quickest at five grands prix, ahead of Ferrari's three quickest stops with Sauber best in Korea and Brazil. Surprisingly, McLaren was only fastest once this season, in Japan. Mercedes' stops were achieved with a fully automatic 'traffic light' system which is up to half a second faster than using a traditional 'lollipop man'.]]> http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/12/mercedes_top_of_the_stops.php http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/12/mercedes_top_of_the_stops.php Tue, 07 Dec 2010 09:28:58 +0000
Mark Webber still has good reason to smile © Getty Images
Despite narrowly missing out on the 2010 drivers’ title, Mark Webber has jumped to the top of the list of Australian sports earners. Golfer Greg Norman was first in last year’s Rich List published by BRW magazine but has been removed from this year’s list due to the curtailment of his playing commitments. "Norman still makes millions but almost all of his money comes from property development and other business deals," BRW said in a statement. Webber was fourth on last year's list, but his estimated $13.4 million earned this season puts him ahead of NBL basketball player Andrew Bogut. Bogut's earnings are listed as $12.6m, ahead of motocross rider Chad Reed ($7.5m), MotoGP's Casey Stoner ($6.8m), Premier League player Tim Cahill ($4.2m) and NASCAR driver Marcos Ambrose ($4.2m).]]> http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/12/webber_tops_aussie_sports_earn.php http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/12/webber_tops_aussie_sports_earn.php Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:31:41 +0000
Jenson Button appears briefly on the youtube clip © youtube
Jenson Button was as surprised as anyone else to find himself on a short Japanese film posted on youtube. Button appears 1min34 seconds into the clip, which shows him coming through the doors of customs at an unknown airport. When first alerted to the footage on his twitter feed, The_Real_JB, Button at first denied the person in question was in fact him. “Defo not me! I always travel with bags plus I've never owned that top... Freaky though!” On closer inspection however, Button admitted that the mystery man in question was, in fact, his good self. “Whoops! sorry guys after watching this footage I realised it is me! at 1min34! To me it looks like winter testing in Valencia or Jerez. The short haired guy is Physio Phil with the bags!! Completely random though!”]]> http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/button_surprised_by_random_vid.php http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/button_surprised_by_random_vid.php Tue, 30 Nov 2010 10:00:10 +0000
Bernie Ecclestone was knocked unconscious in the attack © Getty Images
Bernie Ecclestone made light of being the victim of a mugging outside his home last week despite being kicked unconscious by his attackers. Ecclestone was sporting a very badly bruised eye on Saturday after his assailants fled with an estimated £200,000 worth of jewellery from him and girlfriend Fabiana Flosi. "I'm feeling it now, a bit painful, it was a good whacking," said Ecclestone. "When I was on the ground I could hear Fabiana (Flosi) screaming for help and I took a kick or two in the head and went unconscious. When I came to there was blood everywhere from my head wound but I was lucky. "It was completely stupid and uncalled for. If they had confronted me and asked for everything we had, I would have handed over everything in my pockets, my wallet, anything." Ecclestone added that the muggers "ripped" the earrings from his girlfriend's ears but dismissed reports that the Hublot watch taken from his wrist was worth more than $300,000 as "bollocks". ]]> http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/ecclestone_takes_a_good_whacki.php http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/ecclestone_takes_a_good_whacki.php Mon, 29 Nov 2010 10:40:16 +0000
© Sutton Images
Vitaly Petrov has revealed that fans of Ferrari and Fernando Alonso littered his official Facebook page with insults and abuse. "Many people cursed me, saying I had blocked Alonso," admitted the Russian driver. Petrov played a pivotal role in the outcome of the 2010 world championship when points leader Alonso could not pass him during the final race at Abu Dhabi earlier this month. Alonso was critical at the time and shook his fists at Petrov after the race, but the Russian rookie can’t understand why he has become the villain. "It's nonsense, I did nothing wrong,” he told Bild. “For 39 laps I was in front of him but no one told me on the radio that I was helping Sebastian be world champion. “Even if he had [passed], he also had to pass Rosberg. I drove my own race and Ferrari made a tactical error," added Petrov, who dismissed Alonso's post-race gesticulations as "bad manners". Alonso's failure to pass Petrov meant that Sebastian Vettel was able to close a big points margin to the Spaniard and secure the 2010 title. "He deserves it," Petrov said, referring to Vettel. "The newspapers said it was a miracle, but it was his hard work." Bild asked Petrov if the new world champion had congratulated him personally for his role in the title outcome. "He doesn't have my phone number," answered the Russian. "But I saw that he wrote on his website to his fans that he was grateful to me." ]]> http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/petrov_reveals_alonso_fans_def.php http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/petrov_reveals_alonso_fans_def.php Thu, 25 Nov 2010 10:05:59 +0000
© Sutton Images
Lewis Hamilton caused a stir on the social networking website Twitter when he used bad language to defend his writing style. Hamilton, who has over 53,000 followers, responded to fellow users who were mocking the quality of his tweets by posting: “To those of you who care, thanks for your support, am on here for you. To all you haters… I just don’t give a f*** haha.” He has since deleted the offending tweet and indicated that the whole issue had been blown out of proportion (which it probably has). He also issued the following apology: “Aight, to my young peeps I apologise for the language. Am not venting, I’m always chill. Was not aimed at u. God bless.” But even amended that later on: “To my people (I prefer to say that than fans) I've got nothing but love for u guys..to the others...all I can do is smile..picture me rollin!” ]]> http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/i_just_dont_give_a_f_foulmouth.php http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/i_just_dont_give_a_f_foulmouth.php Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:33:26 +0000
Sebastian Vettel is reportedly getting a €3 million bonus for winning the title with Red Bull © Getty Images
Sebastian Vettel's championship bonus tallies a cool EUR 3 million, according to the German newspaper Bild. It emerged after Red Bull won the 2010 constructors' championship that the team is paying its entire staff - more than 500 people - a healthy monetary bonus. Reports said the bonus is €12,000 each, but Bild claims that only basic employees are receiving the €12,000, with higher-paid engineers all getting up to 50,000. The newspaper said the bonuses are costing Red Bull millions, "and champion Vettel is getting three of them". The report added that Red Bull Racing's total championship windfall under the prize-money clauses of the Concorde Agreement is a whopping €73 million, payable in four instalments. Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz told Die Welt newspaper that Formula One team budgets currently range between "probably €100 million and €500 million". "Our budget is roughly in the lower mid-range," said Mateschitz. ]]> http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/vettel_set_for_big_bonus_after.php http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/vettel_set_for_big_bonus_after.php Mon, 22 Nov 2010 10:16:35 +0000
Red Bull Racing employees turn out to welcome their heroes home in Milton Keynes © Getty Images
Red Bull employees will be celebrating a very merry Christmas after the company announced it is paying its entire staff a healthy championship bonus. Media reports say the bonus for the workers at the team's Milton Keynes headquarters, estimated to be around 550 people, will get £10,000 each. "I've had a load of texts saying 'Thanks for the new kitchen'," team boss Christian Horner told The Independent. "Championship bonuses are in every contract. I guess we can afford this." The bonuses, costing the team almost $9 million, will be paid out of Red Bull's extra FOM prize-money for winning the constructors' world championship.]]> http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/10000_bonus_for_red_bull_emplo.php http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/10000_bonus_for_red_bull_emplo.php Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:24:04 +0000
© Lotus Racing
Sir Richard Branson left Abu Dhabi on Sunday with an AirAsia stewardess uniform in his luggage. It was given to him by Tony Fernandes, the owner of the low-cost Malaysian airline and the F1 team currently known as Lotus. At the beginning of the season, Fernandes and fellow airline owner Branson, figurehead the Virgin team, wagered that the worst of the F1 newcomers would host the other on a flight - dressed as a stewardess. "He'll have to work the whole flight. He'll have to serve, he'll have to clean, he'll have to clean the toilets," Fernandes is quoted by Reuters, after Lotus Racing finished the 2010 season in the coveted tenth place. Virgin finished last, behind HRT. "Watch out London-KL," Fernandes wrote on Twitter. Billionaire Branson said: "The only positive thing is we own 20% of his company so I'll be able to get some promotion for a company I have a stake in."]]> http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/branson_prepares_to_clean_toil.php http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/branson_prepares_to_clean_toil.php Mon, 15 Nov 2010 09:30:30 +0000
© Getty Images
Bernie Ecclestone was furious on Friday when Michael Schumacher did not show up for F1's end-of-season photograph. Amid the backdrop of the colour-changing Yas Hotel late on Friday, team bosses and all the drivers were summoned for a photograph with the international media. But Schumacher - as well as Bruno Senna and Timo Glock - did not appear. Blick reported that Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn tried in vain to call Schumacher on his mobile phone. "Has he retired again?" angry F1 chief executive Ecclestone is quoted as saying. According to another report in Brazil's Globo, Senna apologised for not showing up, insisting that his team had not informed him in time after being summoned to the stewards to explain his practice incident with Lewis Hamilton. Two explanations were given for Glock's absence, according to Globo. The first was that he was having treatment for a sore foot, and the second that he was on the other side of the paddock and simply ran out of time to appear. ]]> http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/schumacher_shuns_photo_opportu.php http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/schumacher_shuns_photo_opportu.php Sat, 13 Nov 2010 16:51:32 +0000
Fernando Alonso sporting his smooth new legs on Thursday © Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber poked fun at title rival Fernando Alonso on the lead-up to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after noticing Ferrari driver was sporting streamlined legs in the Yas Marina paddock. "I'm surprised how Fernando was able to take the pain of having his legs waxed," said Hamilton, who was Alonso’s team-mate in 2007. Mark [Webber] pointed it out and was asking how far it goes up. I was like, 'Wow, they're shiny'," said Hamilton. Despite their well publicised falling out during the 2007 season, Hamilton admitted that Alonso took the jibes in good humour. "He has shown over the years how solid he is mentally. He just doesn't care. You ask him questions about [the team orders in] Germany and he isn't bothered."]]> http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/rivals_wax_lyrical_about_alons.php http://blogs.espnf1.com/The_Pits/archives/2010/11/rivals_wax_lyrical_about_alons.php Fri, 12 Nov 2010 12:23:54 +0000