Let's talk about......

[HF]

Well, maybe they can catch Piquet Jr.

Who knows?

[Greyhead]

So, now Toyota and BMW are both claiming deals with Timo Glock, it's going to the Contracts Recognition Board... More bloody uncertainty over next year's line-up!

And isn't it about time all this spying rubish was put to rest? Just fine all the teams a hundred million dollars and then leave it behind! The image of F1 was already very badly tarnished, this new development with Renault having McLaren data can only make things worse. Teams have always done stuff like this and nobody batted an eyelid until "Saint Todt" decided his poor, struggling, little team (!) needed yet another advantage. As if Ferrari have never done anything wrong.

[DJS]

Ferrari only won the Australian GP with an illegal car, I can't see what is wrong with that.
But Saint Ron told Max about it and so Ferrari had to change the car a little, as did McLaren.

[Greyhead]

Yeah but it was a Ferrari employee (Nigel Stepney) who tipped McLaren off about it...

Anyway, now it's come out that as many as 15 Renault employees are involved, including chief designer Tim Densham... Looks bad for Renault. Just hope that eventually all this goes away cos I'm fed up of it all. Damon Hill has said about how it will damage the sport hugely, and I have to say I agree with him. So why are the FIA rubbishing those claims? Seems they're in complete denial (see Max Mosley's response to the McLaren verdict and to Jackie Stewart's comments for more of that), that they are right and nobody else is allowed an opinion.

[Greyhead]

So the drivers may not be sorted out yet, but the teams are getting there. Ross Brawn has moved to Honda to be team principal and technical director, which seems a like a huge step in the right direction for the team. I don't think it'll have much effect on next season though, they may well still struggle as they are effectively a year behind after 2007's God-awful car.
Probably as a result of this, Ferrari have done a bit of restructuring of their own, with Stefano Domenicali stepping into Jean Todt's shoes (good!). I don't really know a huge amount about Domenicali but he seems a bit less of a screaming, shouting, emoting knobhead than Todt and may actually acknowledge that the world doesn't revolve around Ferrari! Having said that, you can't argue with Todt's achievements and I hope he isn't just being moved aside (the rumour was that Todt and Luca di Montezemolo's relationship was becoming increasingly strained over the past year or two). I've heard that he may well end up as one of the top bosses of FIAT.

[AD]

That's interesting news, one the one hand I think it confirms the restructuring that was already in progress at Ferrari for this season, and you can only hope that in time, Honda will be able to get positive results with Ross Brawn running things.

Interesting to see these kinds of personnel things cleared up first, as the drivers' decisions might or could still take some time, with Glock's contract situation being under review by the CRB and the spy investigation that some rumour might still delay and/or influence Alonso's decision of where he's going.

[HF]

F1-Fansite.com sais that V. Liuzzi will drive for them in 2008 too. Did I miss that news? Is it true? I think it have to be a mistake because I didn't find any sort of this news on a other site.

[Greyhead]

Liuzzi will drive for who?

[HF]

oh, sorry. I forgot to say that they say that he will drive for STR 208.

[AD]

They say that, but it's obviously not correct, as STR have confirmed Vettel and Bourdais since quite a while ago, so I would take that list with a heavy grain of salt.

[Greyhead]

I'd take it with a whole salt mine! He could be a test driver I suppose.

[AD]

Well, even that doesn't seem likely at all, as he's at Force India looking for some kind of "job opportunity" and STR didn't have a test driver this year. I think because Vettel and Bourdais will both still have to gather experience getting used to the car, the fact that the TC is gone etc., they will probably want to test as much as they can with their regular drivers.

In my personal opinion, these kinds of lists always have a certain "bogus factor" to them anyway.

[Greyhead]

Good point. In this week's Autosport magazine there's an interview with Liuzzi, I didn't realise he'd been considered for a Williams drive before Nakajima got it. Perhaps a test drive role there is on the cards if he doesn't get into Force India.

[HF]

Well, Glock will be confirmed for Toyota I think because FIA allowed his contract with them.

[AAS]