Schumacher Returns to F1

Incredible news. Seven-time F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher is going to step in to sub for Felipe Massa at Ferrari. The legend is back. The competition will probably be much closer now since he's a little older and no doubt somewhat rusty, and the car is not as dominant.

However, he does have almost a month to prepare and there is no doubt this will be a huge boost to F1 ratings world wide. When Willi Weber, his manager, was quoted as saying he was certain Schumacher would not come back it was probably negotiating posture as well as to reduce the expectations that are certainly high.

F1 2009 may go down as the most memorable season yet.

Formula 1: Massa's Replacement

Following Felipe Massa's terrible accident in Hungary, all manner of speculation is on the table as to who will be his substitute or replacement (should his F1 career be over).

Michael Schumacher or Fernando Alonso have certainly been mentioned. Schumacher because he's available and a (retired) legend in his own time. Alonso because he's the most complete driver on the grid and has often been rumored to move to Ferrari, the latest being 2010 so it would make sense if he could be released early from his current contract.

Another benefit of having one of these two drivers is that it will light a fire with Kimi Raikkonen. The Kimster will raise his game as he is faced with a new teammate. He needs motivation.

Robert Kubica is also a possibility if there are performance clauses in his contract with BMW, which has decided to pull out of F1 after this year.

For these reasons I would guess the Ferrari test drivers (Marc Gene, Luca Badoer) or a rookie as a sub would be an unlikely choice to replace Massa. This year's silly season is going to be a media frenzy. We'll see.

I'm hoping for a full and speedy recovery.

Ken Okuyama Design Opens New Office

Ken Okuyama Design has opened a third design office. In addition to locations in Tokyo and Turin, Italy the firm has opened a studio in the former Mercedes-Benz premises in Irvine, California (also home to Saleen).

Ken Okuyama is a former Ferrari designer and design chairman at the Art Center College of Design in California. Maybe he'll follow Fisker and produce an upscale hybrid or electric car? AVL (Austrian powertrain engineering company) is also opening a systems engineering test lab in So Cal.

Source: Automotive News

F1 2010 Rules & Budget Cap Resolved

The 10 current teams racing in Formula 1 are members of FOTA (Formula One Teams Association) and had been in dispute with the FIA over the rules for next season which involved a 40m Euro budget cap and a two tier rule structure which provided budget capped teams numerous advantages over the teams that did not accept the cap.

There was a huge row over the changes resulting in all FOTA teams refusing to enter unless changes were made. Williams GP was the first team to cave in and lodge its entry for next year ahead of today's deadline. FOTA promptly suspended (temporarily) the team's membership.

The remaining teams are expected to lodge their entries today as a result of negotiations which saw the two tier rule structure dropped and the budget cap raised and postponed. It is believed the 2010 budget cap will be 100m Euros per team, and that it will be reduced to 45m Euros in 2011.

New teams Prodrive (to be rebranded Aston-Martin in 2012), Lola, and US Grand Prix Engineering (USGPE) have also filed entries for the 2010 season. Thus we may have 26 car grids next season. Any more and pre-qualifying would be needed for each race.

How the budget cap will be enforced is still a mystery.

Ferrari (Maybe) Out of F1 in 2010

The board of directors has issued a statement that Ferrari will not participate in Formula 1 in 2010 if the recently passed two tier rules are not rescinded. Renault followed suit. And Toyota and Red Bull have both previously stated that they would do so as well. For once hopefully the teams (FOTA) can stick together and prevail.

These rules would permit teams that abide by a budget cap a host of technical advantages. Teams that spend more than the cap allows would be severely restricted in what they're able to do.

It's simply an unworkable situation. The last thing F1 needs is two classes of cars and to go this far into the year without the rules for next season finalized so the teams can begin designing. Further, how is it possible to enforce such a cap with any significant degree of confidence? It's not.

The constant (and unilateral) implementation of rules that don't enhance the quality of racing (grooved tires from 1998-2008), add to the costs (KERS), and damage the sport, alienating many FIA constituents (ADAC, AAA I believe are two of the biggies) has taken its toll on the sport.

It's time for Max Mosley (and Bernie Ecclestone) to exit. F1 has been run by greed (Ecclestone) and hunger for power (Mosley) for too long. A lot of people are waiting for them to be carted off so more sensible management can be brought in. Their rule changes have generally had the opposite effect of their stated intentions.

Hopefully someone will finally run against and defeat Mosley this fall when he (again) stands for reelection.