Not much of a video but there he is testing with a 3 year old car on loan from a Ferrari collector. Not very relevant to the 2009 model except to evaluate Schumacher's physical condition and to see if he has fully recovered from his neck injury sustained as a result of his last fall from a Superbike (and maybe the resulting butt kicking he surely got from his wife!)
There is talk Ferrari might exploit a loophole in the regulations and request a test for Schumacher in the current 2009 car. Article 22.1.a of the 2009 FIA F1 sporting regulations allows for an exception to the testing ban if the test is part of:
i) promotional or demonstration events carried out using tyres provided specifically for this
purpose by the appointed supplier.
Interesting to see if any of the other teams will object.
I say put him through a rigorous test, not just with a three year old car but with a wider range of Ferrari machinery and film the whole thing and...oh wait.
OK that was cheap but hey, what's the downside of having watched an extended version of history's greatest commercial?
We'll need some Finnish translation help... but it looks like he's keeping his Abarth on the road...mostly, he does miss a turn, In the second video, after the jump you can see another view of his "I said right, not left" moment.
A must watch video: Marcus Gronholm driving the legendary Ouninpohja special stage of Rally Finland.
He's going slow but that just gives him the time to recall all of everybody else's accidents. "Next corner, my cousin went off...ha", "Rovenperä went out there, he said something broke on the car but...I don't know", "Everybody is very very nervous, even me", all priceless lines delivered in classic Finnish deadpan.
The best part for me? They write the names of the drivers on the rocks they hit! That's harsh.
He may not have had success in F1 but Tonio Liuzzi, who you are riding with, was 2001 World Karting Champion, he beat one Michael Schumacher that year (yes, Schumi tried to win the Karting Championship too in 2001!). Well, Tonio can't catch that old man in the red suit.
This video of Michael Schumacher doing his thing at an Italian kart track last week, before the announcement, comes courtesy of AIM and features their new SmartyCam system.
You could say Michael Schumacher saved Formula 1 this week.
The rather downbeat news of BMW quitting the series has disappeared from headlines and from fan discussion sites.
Ticket sales are expected to rise 20% (according to SportPro Media), ratings for Valencia will be the highest ever.
I suspect the timing was not coincidental. Right after BMW's announcement, Ferrari had issued a press release essentially saying "We've been in F1 for 60 years, we've seen plenty of teams come and go. Good bye, thanks for playing". What better way to protect the F1 brand than to announce the return of the most successful and controversial champion ever? Mission accomplished.
Schumacher, who one would think is certain to have his Ferrari consultancy contract renewed (rumored to the tune of 5M Euros) will become the Lance Armstrong story for a series that has managed only bad news this whole season.
Good thing Schumacher said he relishes the challenge because he will have one day, Friday August 21, to get to terms with a new car, new aero, new tires and a new track. He will have to come up with a reasonable setup with a new crew and then face crushing public expectations he will not embarrass himself. A tall order even for a seven time champion.
Surely the powers that be at Formula 1 must be ecstatic . Schumacher will step in for Felipe Massa...
"Scuderia Ferrari intends to entrust Michael Schumacher with Felipe Massa's race car until the Brazilian driver is able to return to racing. Michael Schumacher has confirmed his availability and in the next few days will undergo a specific preparation program at the end of which it will be possible to confirm his participation to the Championship starting from the Grand Prix of Europe"
"The most important thing first: thanks God, all news concerning Felipe are positive. I wish him all the best again.
I was meeting this afternoon with Stefano Domenicali and Luca di Montezemolo and together we decided that I will prepare myself to take the place of Felipe. Though it is true that the chapter Formula 1 has been closed for me since long and completely, it is also true that for loyalty reasons to the team I cannot ignore that unfortunate situation. But as the competitor I am I also very much look forward to facing this challenge." (Michael-Schumacher.de)
Is that's what it boils down to? The dominant faction within BMW felt that, having spent what the company has spent in past years, it should be entitled to more success so they are turning out the lights on their Formula 1 operation.
The announcement leaves more questions than answers. The company had, up until very recently, asserted its commitment to Formula 1 and the series, still the single most watched motorsport series on the planet, is on track to become a profit center for all teams by 2011 when the agreed to budget cap of $40 million will be below team's minimums revenue share from rights and venues.
So what's going on? An immediate need for cost cutting? A revolt against Mario Theissen, the head of BMW Motorsport who has been instrumental in BMW expanding from a Formula 1 engine supplier to a full fledged constructor team?
Was it a reaction to FOTA's decision to abandon K.E.R.S. which BMW had been the strongest proponent of before the start of the season and which fit the company's "Efficient Dynamics" marketing focus? Was BMW upset because it did not get rule changes that would advantage them?
The danger for BMW is that it could be seen as wanting to be the big fish in the small pond of ALMS and WTCC now that it failed to reach its goals in the world's top series. Costs in minor series are a fraction of those in F1 and it will be argued that sedan racing is more relevant to BMW's core business. BMW has had a tough go in ALMS and WTCC as well this past year and I'm sure the prospect of some of the ex- F1 money will be welcome news to those teams.
This all played perfectly into Max Mosley's hands, the FIA has already issued an "I told you so" memo while FOTA, which BMW seemed to be a reluctant member of, responded with vague promises of help and non sequitur utterances about fan participation in decision making. Just when we thought we were out...
We feel especially bad for the people in Hinwil, Sauber deserves better than to be dropped in the scrap heap from one day to the next. We hope they find a way back to the track soon. Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld's career's are now also up in the air.
Finally I'm not sure how hardcore BMW fans will react to the announcement that BMW is viewing its future in terms of "premium" rather than pure performance.
"...a resolute step in view of our company's strategic realignment. Premium will increasingly be defined in terms of sustainability and environmental compatibility. This is an area in which we want to remain in the lead. In line with our Strategy Number One, we are continually reviewing all projects and initiatives to check them for future viability and sustainability."
That was Norbert Reithofer Chairman of the Board of BMW. While performance can be "premium" and could certainly be measured in "green-ness", I'm sure many worry Strategy Number One will turn into Number Two for the "M" for motorsport brand.
It is been confirmed by our sources that BMW has called what is being described as "an important press conference" in Munich Wednesday morning. The growing rumor is that BMW will announce it is leaving Formula 1 at the end of the season to concentrate on more cost effective racing series, sports cars and sedans which have historically been BMW's playground.
We will not speculate at this time on the reasoning for this decision which contradicts BMW's statement earlier in the season regarding its long term commitments to Formula 1. Stay tuned...
First info... 570 hp, 420 ft/lbs torque. Power to weight is 5.33lb/HP, It weighs 286 lbs more than the 430 Scuderia and 66 lbs more than the F430. A Scuderia version without heavy accessories is coming later.
The car generates 308 lbs of downforce at 125 mph. Parts of the car change shape elastically with speed to reduce drag! New electronic differential is claimed to give 32% better acceleration out of corners compared to past models.
ITALIA - Ferrari’s innovative new V8
The 458 Italia is the latest incarnation of the mid-rear engined berlinetta and will be unveiled at the next Frankfurt Motor Show
Maranello, July 28th 2009 – While it’s true that every Ferrari is innovative by definition, it’s equally true that in the course of the Prancing Horse’s history, certain cars have marked a genuine departure from the current range. This is very much the case with the Ferrari 458 Italia, which is a massive leap forward from the company’s previous mid-rear engined sports cars.
The new model is a synthesis of style, creative flair, passion and cutting-edge technology, characteristics for which Italy as a nation is well-known. For this reason Ferrari chose to add the name of its homeland to the traditional figure representing the displacement and number of cylinders.
The Ferrari 458 Italia is a completely new car from every point of view: engine, design, aerodynamics, handling, instrumentation and ergonomics, just to name a few.
A two-seater berlinetta, the Ferrari 458 Italia, as is now traditional for all Ferrari’s road-going cars, benefits hugely from the company’s Formula 1 experience. This is particularly evident in the speed and precision with which the car responds to driver inputs and in the attention focused on reducing internal friction in the engine for lower fuel consumption than the F430, despite the fact that both overall displacement and power have increased. However, Ferrari’s track experience makes its presence felt in the 458 Italia not only in terms of pure technological transfer but also on a more emotional level, because of the strong emphasis on creating an almost symbiotic relationship between driver and car. The 458 Italia features an innovative driving environment with a new kind of steering wheel and dashboard that is the direct result of racing practice. Once again input from Michael Schumacher - who was involved from the very start of the 458 Italia project - played an invaluable part.
The Ferrari 458 Italia’s Pininfarina design provides further evidence of the complete departure from the past that this new car hails. The Ferrari 458 Italia has a compact, aerodynamic shape, underscoring the concepts of simplicity, efficiency and lightness that inspired the project. As with every Ferrari, the car’s styling has been very heavily influenced by the requirements for aerodynamic efficiency, as can be seen from the downforce of 140 kg at 200km/h generated by the new model. The front features a single opening for the front grille and side air intakes, with aerodynamic sections and profiles designed to direct air to the coolant radiators and the new flat underbody. The nose also sports small aeroelastic winglets which generate downforce and, as speed rises, deform to reduce the section of the radiator inlets and cut drag.
The new 4499 cc V8 is the first Ferrari direct injection engine to be mid-rear mounted. It has a very low piston compression height typical of racing engines which contributed to achieving its compression ratio of 12.5:1. Equipped with the traditional flat-plane crankshaft, the engine delivers 570 CV at 9000 rpm and, with an outstanding power output of 127 CV/litre, sets a new benchmark not only for the whole Ferrari range and the history of company, but also for the entire market segment. Maximum torque is 540 Nm at 6000 rpm, over 80 per cent of which is available from 3250 rpm. Specific torque is a record 120 Nm/litre. However, what is truly extraordinary is the amount of torque available while still maintaining high levels of power at low revs.
The car’s soundtrack is also typical Ferrari, with an exciting, powerful growl emerging from the engine before it channels through to the exhaust’s three rear tailpipes.
The 458 Italia is equipped with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission which increases performance whilst providing very smooth shifts even at full throttle. The engineers have developed specific, sportier gear ratios to match the power and torque curves of the new V8, guaranteeing high torque even at lower engine speeds and allowing the car to reach its maximum speed in top gear.
This new Ferrari is also a major leap forward when it comes to cutting emissions. Despite the fact that the new engine is significantly more powerful than the V8s that preceded it, the Ferrari 458 Italia produces just 320 g/km of CO2 and fuel consumption is 13.7 l/100 km (combined cycle), the best in the entire segment.
The engineers also focused on weight reduction during the design phase for similar reasons. Consequently, the Ferrari 458 Italia has a dry weight of 1380 kg with a power-to-weight ratio of 2.42 kg/CV. Weight distribution is also optimal with 58 per cent over the rear axle. The result of the engineers’ endeavours can be summed up in to two simple statistics which together perfectly encapsulate the Ferrari 458 Italia’s exceptional performance: 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 3.4 seconds and a maximum speed in excess of 325 km/h.
For the new chassis, once more in aluminium, Maranello’s engineers incorporated various types of advanced alloys along with aerospace industry-derived manufacturing and bonding techniques.
With regard to vehicle dynamics, the Ferrari 458 Italia’s suspension features twin wishbones at the front and a multi-link set-up at the rear tuned for maximum roadholding and superlative handling. Along with a more direct steering ratio, the 458 Italia thus offers extremely rapid turn-in and body control whilst maintaining superior ride comfort.
The integration of the E-Diff and F1-Trac (now controlled by the same ECU) and their respective mappings is even greater, resulting in a 32 per cent increase in longitudinal acceleration out of corners compared to previous models. The evolution of the control logic, with even faster and more accurate calculation of levels of grip, ensures even greater roadholding, better handling and ease of control on the limit.
The same ECU also governs the high-performance ABS, providing even more precise control over the logic threshold and greater efficiency. The brakes also feature a prefill function whereby the pistons in the callipers move the pads into contact with the discs on lift off to minimise delay in the brakes being applied. This combined with the ABS has cut the 100-0 km/h braking distance to a mere 32.5 metres.
The Ferrari 458 Italia’s interior is another area of the car that exalts its sporty personality. The driver is welcomed by a new layout and a revolutionary ergonomic interface where the main controls are all clustered on the steering wheel.
With the Ferrari 458 Italia, Maranello has brought a highly distinctive new car to its 8-cylinder range. The company now offers two models that share a common, race-derived DNA, both exceptionally sporty and fun to drive in true Ferrari tradition, but aimed at two very different kinds of client. While the Ferrari California was created for owners requiring a more versatile sports car with a practical edge, the 458 Italia is designed for owners for whom the priority is uncompromising on-road performance with occasional track day capability, but who still demand a car that is useable in day-to-day driving like all Ferrari’s recent models.
While the motoring world is, as was predictable, obsessing over Massa's replacement, the Kimster is in the Finnish forest testing with Tommi Makinen Racing in a Fiat-Abarth Grande Punto S2000 for this week end's Rally Finland.
You can turn on the Closed Caption feature on this clip (lower right corner) to follow what Inka from Finland's YLE is saying. Summarized, Ferrari has put no limits on Raikkonen for the rally, he can go all out and his more experienced Finn friends are enjoying giving him a bit of a hard time.
A great comeback by Mclaren and Hamilton who were able to capitalize on Alonso's bad luck and Vettel's bad start. The Hungaroring is a good challenge for cars and drivers but not so great for spectators, not that it mattered very much, the race was not close enough to be hard fought. The racing was really in the geeky aspects of tire wear and fuel strategies.
The most notable aspect of the race was the utter lack of pace from the Brawn GP. One has to wonder about how the diffuser rulings and the lack of budget at Brawn have impacted the season.
There was some controversy, Renault has been suspended from the championship for one race for sending Alonso out with a wheel not properly secured. While I can understand the sensitivity of the FIA to parts coming off of cars, I just cannot imagine this standing. On the other hand the FIA officials were very cool with the minor contact at the start. For all the breathless rantings of Peter Windsor during the US FOX broadcast, practically demanding a drivethough penalty for Raikkonen, replays show that Hamilton once more out braked himself and risked taking out Webber who, being the clever guy that he is, was expecting it and stayed wide. This left a hole both he and Raikkonen went for, there was some minor bumping, all the cars made it through. no harm no foul. The way it should be.
Of course, most fans probably were more preoccupied with Massa's condition than with with the race. Latest news are good for Massa the man, perhaps less for Massa the racer. Though his condition is improving, it looks more and more likely he will miss the rest of the season and there are questions now about damage to his optic nerve, something that could have devastating consequences for his career.
Felipe Massa's wife Ana Rafaela arriving at the hospital (AP)
I'll summarize news reports from Italian media which seem to be a bit more in depth this morning:
Massa remains stable but in a medically induced coma. He underwent a CAT scan which reportedly found "reassuring results" as described by Peter Bazso, the director of the military clinic where the Brazilian is being treated.
There was an attempt to bring Massa out of the coma in the morning so he could communicate with his relatives in from Brazil but it is unclear if he responded to them.
Dr, Bazso goes on to say he was sedated again and that he will be kept in the pharmacological coma for the next 48 hours.
When asked specificlally in Massa's condition was life threatening the official answered "Yes, of course". However as physicians out there will know, this is a normal description for anyone who has had a severe head injury and is on a respirator.
Rubens Barrichello has said he was at the hospital and that physicians were not able to reassure him that " he will be back to normal". The FIA physician Gary Hartstein is quoted saying weeks if not months will be needed to have complete indication on Massa recovery. (Gazzetta dello Sport, Corriere Della Sera)
It seems clear now that Felipe Massa, in the best of circumstances, is likely miss a minimum of three races, if not the rest of the season. Who does Ferrari have to fill in for Felipe?
Ferrari's back up drivers are Luca Badoer and Marc Gene, two great test drivers who have not, in their previous Formula 1 careers, shown to be especially successful racers. Badoer has 56 F1 starts, no points, his last race was in 1999. Marc Gene had 36 F1 races and scored 5 points, his last race was in 2004. Of the two, Gene is the obvious choice.
There is another name that is bound to come up, it's inevitable. He retired at the end of 2006 and has enjoyed some success in Formula 1...
It's going to come up, Schumacher coming back to help his team in a pinch. It may also be the thing to revitalize this rather negative F1 season, a story line that must make Bernie Ecclestone, circuit owners and network executives vibrate at night.
Massa's condition will also determine the diver's market, throwing everything up in the air. I'm sure driver's managers are recomputing all their strategies at this point and waiting anxiously on Massa's prognosis.
This video from Gazzetta Dello Sport shows the basic workings of the Brawn GP's rear suspension. It it though that the string from the center shock is what broke off in Barrichello's car. Some reports give the weight of the spring at around 800grams, Massa's speed at around 260km/h. You do the math.
Without translating the whole video, you can see that is the only coil spring and is used in conjunction with torsion bars embedded in the gearbox.
Reports are that Massa responded to all question lucidly but was so agitated he had to be sedated and later went into shock perhaps that is why he was intubated... lucky in a way that it was a glancing blow as apparently the spring then went on to hit and make a hole in the sidepod.
Regulations say that a replacement driver has to complete at least one session so Ferrari will only field one car tomorrow.
Very creepy and the latest news give Felipe Massa as "stable" but that does not mean OK, for one thing Stefano Domenicali confirmed that a he was intubated and that he will not be racing on Sunday.
The video shows Massa was hit by debris which looks very much like a spring. Rubens Barrichello's Brawn had lost a spring on the track ahead of the Ferrari though how it could have still been bouncing around is quite puzzling.
I would be remiss not to point out that medical help took over a minute to arrive and that nobody even remotely equipped with fire gear is close to the car for some 40 seconds. In fact I don't see any fire extinguishers in anyone's hands.
Server getting hit hard...maybe wait for it to load before hitting play, thanks for your patience. There are multi language YouTube versions after the jump if needed...(as long as they last..)
"The talk of the GTS3 crowd at Pocono this past weekend: part because this epic baller has a brand new M3 built by Turner for GTS, part because no one could find the dip stick ;)"
This one should get the PETA hero award for risking a major crash in a high speed turn at Mallory Park to spare the life of a duck and her oh so cuddly seven ducklings. God knows PETA would have protested if he had made paté out of them!
The latest adventure of two Italian "Autonauts" ended off the coast of Tuscany yesterday when they were "pulled over" by the coast guard, given tickets for failing to comply with marine regulations and, presumably, painting a Maserati lilac.
Marco Amoretti and Marcolino De Candia told the authorities they were planning to sail around Italy from Forte dei Marmi to Venice.
It is not the first time the two self described "Autonauts" use cars in ways never quite intended: in 1999 the crossed the Atlantic, from the Canaries to Martinique on board a Ford Taurus and VW Passat filled with polyurethane foam.
I had been a little worried about Top Gear this season. Not many interesting new cars and so far, save for the FXX episode, the shows have been a bit...meh . But the boys were back on form last Sunday!
Since everyone enjoyed F1 in super slow motion so much here are some MotoGP bikes, it's quite short but still very sweet. This is from the German GP at the Sachsenring where Valentino Rossi pulled off yet another amazing ride for his 101st win.
Don't miss a chance to see this race, like many MotoGP races this season, the entire thing was practically a highlight reel. I'm asking the question more and more, why bother watching car racing? In the broadcast the mentioned the lean angles are over 50 degrees...
Henry Surtees, the eighteen year old son of seven time Motorcycle World Champion and 1964 Formula 1 champion John Surtees was fatally injured in a Formula 2 race at Brands Hatch today. In this video report from Eurosport, Henri is seen with his father in the grid. Surtees who was born in 1991 when his father was fifty seven, started racing in the Ginetta Cup and then Formula BMW. Before joining the new FIA Formula 2 series he had raced in Formula Renault.
The FIA Formula 2 cars are built to the latest safety specs and have wheel tethers. For all the strides made in safety, this is a sad reminder racing is not a game. Surtees was hit by a wheel that had come off another car and never regained consciousness. Our condolences to his family.
(Eurosport via Metzell89)
This was the official statement from the race organizers right after the accident but before he passed away.
“Henry was driving between Westfield and Sheene corner when he was struck on the head by a wheel and tyre from another car which had hit the tire wall ahead of him just before. Henry was immediately knocked unconscious and his car failed to negotiate the following Sheene corner and collided with the barriers.
“The race was red flagged and the medical team were with Henry as soon as possible. He was removed from the car, stabilised and taken to the medical centre where the medical team prepared him for transfer to the Royal London hospital, the regional trauma centre, by helicopter, where he is now being treated.
“Formula Two Chief Executive, Jonathan Palmer, said “I would like to express my great sadness that Henry has been injured today. An accident like this would obviously raise high levels of concern and we await further news on Henry’s condition from the hospital. This is clearly a very worrying time for John and Jane Surtees. Our thoughts are with them and we will be providing all the support we can.””
Yes, rumors are true, the most hated car in the recent 24 Hours of Lemons did in fact have an Axis connection. Like Rubens Barrichello, some Axis team members are threatening to write a book exposing the seamy underbelly of America's favorite slacker race! Axis says: "No wheels off? What tha..."
That what the French say and with Max Mosley's exit and the seemingly inevitable election of Jean Todt in his place, at the FIA too the more things change the more they stay the same.
Axis is bored with F1 politics, in fact, borderline bored with F1 in general after the events of this season. Just a short comment: while certainly Todt is a professional with vast experience he is also Mosley's man which means he would keep Mosley's infrastructure within the FIA. His association with Ferrari will assure that any future decision by the FIA will be seen, with or without merit, as pro Maranello.
Formula 1 had a chance for a fresh start, for new thinking and they threw it away. Old men and old ideas are firmly in charge.
Driven by Bernd Schneider. The Audio is terrible but it gives the impression that the car is very fast but, judging by the braking points, quite heavy. The automatic transmission sound awful. Comments?
Home race for the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup. It was won by René Rast of Germany over Stefan Rosina and Jeroen Bleekemolen.
You can find all the info you ever wanted on the seventeenth season of the Porsche spec race series on racecam.de and some pictures from the 2009 race after the jump.
The BBC ran a lenghty interview with Rubens Barrichello's nemesis before the race on Sunday. Interviewed with Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard, the seven time champion looks pretty relaxed but hasn't quite forgotten the Spa incident of 1998. (videos of the 1998 accident and subsequent scrum after the jump)
Asked about his future involvement in F1, Schumacher gives a fairly definitive answer.
After today's German GP, Rubens Barrichello went into one of his usual hissy fits claiming he would have won the race if it hadn't been for the team screwing up his strategy and pit stops.
"To be honest, I wish I could just get on a plane and go home now. I don't want to talk to anyone in the team, because it would be a lot of bla, bla, bla, bla... And I don't want to hear that. I'm just terribly upset,"
Ross Brawn actually was honest and replied to the assembled journalists:
"Rubens had the 11th fastest time in the race today....You cannot win a race, whatever strategy you have, if your best lap is only 11th quickest. It is just not possible. Those are the facts."
To be honest Barrichello, who famously called Schumacher gay, should make an effort to enjoy his last seven races in F1 rather than spend his time crying. On the other hand he has more material for that famous tell-all book he threatenend to write.
Sadly, in the US, we will be forced to wait until the afternoon for the tape delayed Fox broadcast, a shame because the German GP has the potential to be one of the season's most interesting. Of course there is the threat of rain and Saturday's qualifying session was all about guessing the right tire at the right time. Some were caught out badly, especially Alonso but they certainly all earned their paychecks.
The relative weight of the cars is very interesting with the BrawnGP's running considerably lighter than the Red Bulls. Hamilton too is lighter but Kovalainen and the two Ferraris are considerably heavier than Webber. The heaviest car in the top ten is Adrian Sutil's Force India, a full 18.5kg over Webber's RedBull.
Why are the Brawns so light? they need to be or is it a strategy call? The resurgent Mclaren, is it the real thing or a fluke due to the circumstances on Saturday? Hamilton had all the new aero bits and the lighter car yet Kovalainen was only one spot behind. Ferrari look like they are praying for rain and for everyone else to crash, it's not like that hasn't happened before at the Nürburgring. Keep those cranes handy!
if you can't wait you might want to check THIS out. Your milage may vary but it's working well for me!
There were some fantastic Hyper Slow Motion shots on today's Friday practice broadcast. At 1500 frames per second you can really see all the forces on the cars as they slam over curbs.
Lewis Hamilton topped practice today with Vettel nipping at his heels. Vettel was consistently faster in sectors 1 and 2 but he could not touch Hamilton in sector 3. This revealing superimposed shot shows precisely where Vettel lost time. In the final chicane at the end of the lap, Hamilton brakes earlier than Vettel and sets up the exit to the chicane much better.
Braking earlier might not pay during a race when you have someone at your heels trying to pass but in a qualifying or Time Trial situation, where placing the car on the perfect line is the key, it can pay off quite handsomely!
According to a silly season report on French TV. That would leave two empty seats at BMW if you believe other rumor about Heidfeld leaving. (via CircusF1.com)
Dan Gurney was not the first, in 1937, Mercedes developed this two seat version of their W125 in order to study suspension movements at speed, close up!
The same car was used in 1962 to film a promotional film for Shell. Shell has made some great motorsport movies over the years, most recently that amazing Ferrari though the ages film. In 1962 they produced "Round the Ring" an onboard lap of the Nürburgring with Herman Lang driving a Mercedes W125. The movie was narrated by Graham Hill.
Amazing looking at the track back then, I wonder if hedges cost more than aarmco to fix?
After all the Mosley-Ecclestone stupidity of the past few weeks, it's nice to get a little historical prospective. Here is a more complete version of a clip that has been floating around YouTube for a while. In 1969 the race was won by Jackie Ickx over 14 laps of the Nordschleife. It was certainly not a small grid by modern standards but of the 21 F1 cars that took the green flag, 11 retired, mostly because of mechanical failures.
Failures have essentially been eradicated from modern F1, they still happen but nothing like back then when engines failures were only slightly more common than suspension failures. A suspension failure during qualifying killed Gerhard Mitter, the European Hillclimb champion who was driving a BMW F2. BMW retired all their cars from the race. John Surtees flat out refused to start the race saying his BRM P139 was unsafe.
Many crashed during the race, Andretti in the four wheel drive Lotus 63, Vic Elford, Piers Courage. Jo Siffert had his suspension collapse during the race and ended up crashing after the Karussel.
In the clip you see Jo Siffert and Johnny Savoz-Gavin hanging out next to their busted cars at the Karrusel, typical of the times, after getting out of their F1 cars the driver's first instinct was to find someone to give them a smoke!
Just when you thought Formula 1's leadership could not get any more ridiculous, Bernie Ecclestone comes out with this of all things, in defense of a man who really does not need this sort of comparisons...
It defies belief but today's The Times has a headline which reads: "Hitler? He got things done, says Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone"
"In a lot of ways, terrible to say this I suppose, but apart from the fact that Hitler got taken away and persuaded to do things that I have no idea whether he wanted to do or not, he was in the way that he could command a lot of people, able to get things done,"
"I prefer strong leaders. Margaret Thatcher made decisions on the run and got the job done. She was the one who built this country up slowly. We've let it go down again. All these guys, Gordon and Tony are trying to please everybody all the time ... Max would do a super job, he's a good leader." "I don't think his background would be a problem."
As the Formula 1 community collectively face palms we are left to wonder: even if you do happen to believe things like that, who says that in public?
"My Daredevil Grandfather: This is him with Dan Gurney tyre-testing at Goodwood in the Eagle, with my Grandfather sitting astride the engine cover, facing backwards to study deformation of Gurney’s Goodyear tyres in action.
It's going to come up, Schumacher coming back to help his team in a pinch. It may also be the thing to revitalize this rather negative F1 season, a story line that must make Bernie Ecclestone, circuit owners and network executives vibrate at night.
That what the French say and with Max Mosley's exit and the seemingly inevitable election of Jean Todt in his place, at the FIA too the more things change the more they stay the same. 
