McLaren driver, Juan Pablo Montoya, has won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Montoya reportedly told his McLaren team he was going to win the Grand Prix and beat Fernando Alonso before the race started. According to race commentators he did both in style.
This weekend’s French Grand Prix, was a lot more straight forward than last month’s US race – Renault and Michelin’s Fernando Alonso won what commentators described as an emphatic victory. Mclaren’s Kimi Raikonnen took second place, while Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher filled the last remaining podium position. Jenson Button gained his first points of the season by taking fourth place (Button’s San Marino result was annulled after BAR were disqualified).
FIA, the world motorsports governing body, has found the seven F1 teams that pulled out of the US Grand Prix guilty on two charges, but has deferred punishment. The compromise is seen as a way of buying time for the international motorsports series to recover. The teams – Renault, McLaren, Williams, Toyota, Sauber, Red Bull and BAR – were found guilty of failing to arrive at Indianapolis with proper tyres and wrongfully refusing to allow their cars to race after Michelin issued a safety warning.
However, the teams were cleared of charges of failing to inform race stewards of their intention not to race, refusing to race subject to a speed limit and combining to put on a spectacle damaging to Formula One. Punishment was deferred until 14 September. The FIA cannot punish Michelin directly.
Michael Schumacher, one of Formula 1’s most successful drivers, is not having fun in the sport and may retire soon, his brother Ralph told the Sport Bild Newspaper on Wednesday. “I don’t believe that Michael will be driving for very much longer,” Toyota driver Ralph told the German sports publication.
Bosch has released the updated 2005 version of its range of DVD-based technical information, ESI[tronic]. The new version of the company’s software package will provide garage technicians with more technical knowledge for problem solving on a wider range of modern vehicles.
Montupet S.A., the French aluminium wheel manufacturer, is to put 70 million levs (£24.6 million) in the construction of a new production plant in Bulgaria, according to the Bulgarian investment agency.
The European car market rose 1.5 per cent in April according to POLK. Among the different OEMs BMW registrations were up 22 per cent and Porsche 26 per cent.
Figures were down 1.1 per cent for VW and 0.1 per cent for Renault. Mercedes brand sales were up 2.5 per cent. On the weak side: Peugeot was down 4.7 per cent and Fiat again very weak, was down 15 per cent. Overall, April was a good month for the premium brands, volume brands remained sluggish.
Euro Car Parts has launched a new light commercial vehicle parts catalogue. The catalogue contains original equipment parts and accessories for light commercial vehicles covering Citroen, Mercedes, Peugeot, Renault and Volkswagen.
The Renault of Fernando Alonso took first place at Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix, on a completely new design of Michelin Formula 1 tyre. Following the result, second place Michael Schumacher is reported to have pronounced that “Bridgestone are back.” “They have suffered a lot of (bad) publicity lately,” the Ferrari driver added. Now, following a successful race at Imola, the tyre supplier is confident that the team it supplies can push for the championship once again. “I think we can say that the Bridgestone was the better tyre today,” said technical manager Hisao Suganuma.
Although Michael Schumacher’s car was lapping two seconds faster than any other car at one point, in terms of points Michelin supplied drivers dominated. Following Fernando Alonso’s win, and Michael Schumacher’s second place BAR Honda’s Jenson Button, filled the remaining podium space. After that all other point scoring positions were filled by Michelin drivers. “It’s clear that (Bridgestone) have upped their game,” said Michelin’s Pierre Dupasquier.
Automotive supplier Montupet S.A. (France) felt a recession of around three to four per cent in sales in 2004, or 423 million euros. However the company’s annual general meeting has reported a net profit of 17.72 million euros, but more importantly reduced its debts to 22 million euros. Investments including that into Renault engines, a Canadian plant for Chrysler/USA and the modernisation of a Belfast aluminum cast wheels factory, were valued at 26 million.
(Akron/Tire Review) Associated Press has reported that nine Formula One teams and five F1 car manufacturers will boycott a meeting this week with the FIA in another move interpreted as increasing their bid for a new grand prix series.
FIA’s meeting on 15 April was reportedly called to discuss 2008 race season regulations. The only race team and constructor committed to attending the meeting is Ferrari, which signed a multi-year deal to remain in F1.
Michelin will supply the tyres for the eight Renault Trucks vehicles taking part in the Silk Road 2005 expedition between 2nd April and 9th June. The teams will travel 20 000 km across Europe, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyztan and the Inner Mongolian region of China, following the path of the legendary Silk Road. Michelin will fit the trucks with specially designed all-terrain tyres, sized 395/85 R20 XZL.
Bridgestone has taken the blame for Ferrari’s poor start to the Formula 1 season. Bridgestone Motorsport’s technical director Hirohide Hamashima told the daily Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday that there was no doubt tyres were to blame. “Even if the entire package is important, in this race the responsibility for such a negative result is undoubtedly down to our tyres,” said Mr Hamashima.
Seven teams in Formula 1 use Michelin tyres, including Renault who have won both races so far this season. “The fact that (Fernando) Alonso and (Jarno) Trulli lapped a couple of seconds faster than us is certainly not explainable by different fuel loads. Obviously we have had long discussions with Ferrari to create tyres of a new generation and we are counting on having found some that will allow us quickly to be competitive again,” said the Bridgestone chief.
The tension is rising for the 12 potential ‘Top Technicians’ who will battle it out at next month’s Automotive Trade Show.
Once named, the winner will be able to choose from a wide variety of prizes, including holidays, VIP tickets, motor sport events, tools, equipment or formal training opportunities.
Renault’s Giancarlo Fisichella wants to win again in Malaysia and is under no illusion about the part that tyres will play. “I will do everything I can to win the race,” the Italian told the Reuters news agency. “In Australia the tyres were fantastic,” he said. “I did my best lap time on the 55th lap with just two laps left. Malaysia will be more severe for the tyres because track temperature is much higher. We will need to save the tyres to win the race.”
Fisichella’s recent victory in Australia was his second in 142 races. The driver said Ferrari and McLaren would be Renault’s main threats and added that tyre preservation will be a crucial factor in Sunday’s race. New rules require drivers to qualify and complete the race on the same set of tyres.
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