Autoblog

Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella had about as perfect a race weekend as one can have, capturing pole position, and more or less leading the entire Australian Grand Prix en route to his second F1 victory (and his first well deserved podium celebration). With the new two-session aggregate qualifying system in play, and rearing its ugly head due to torrential rains during the first session, the starting grid was noticably jumbled, with Michael Schumacher's Ferrari starting on the back row behind both Minardi's and Jordan-Midland's machines. The expectation of seeing good racing was quickly put to rest as it became apparent that regulations changes, designed to reduce costs and improve racing, were doing little to help the on-track action.

This weekend's Formula One season opener in Melbourne, Australia just got a whole lot more interesting. Minardi, F1's perennial backmarkers, have gained special dispensation from eight of the nine other F1 teams to run their 2004 challenger for the first few races of 2005. This dispensation was given as late rule changes were made for the 2005 season, and Minardi has F1's lowest budget, making them unable to begin the production of their 2005 car until rules had been set. Makes perfect sense, especially since F1 can ill-afford to lose another team, and Minardi is not a threat to win a grand prix any time soon. Yet, Ferrari, who have won six consecutive Constructor's Titles, are the only team refusing to agree to let Minardi run their old cars. Without Ferrari's signature, Minardi's cars are unlikely to pass scrutineering, thus being deemed illegal to race. This is where things could get very, very interesting, as Paul Stoddart (Minardi's owner) recently had this to say…

"Put it this in way, if Minardi's wheels do not turn this weekend they will not be the only ones, the Group of Nine (made up of all F1 teams but Ferrari) is pretty strong and there is an agreement between everyone except Ferrari."

Interesting statement indeed. Stay tuned for more, as the Australian Grand Prix will surely provide more interest this weekend.

Amongst the falling snow in Maranello, Italy this morning Ferrari took the wraps off their 2005 Formula One contender, the F2005. Ferrari has the hopes their new vehicle, which will likely not make its race debut until the European leg of the F1 season begins, will carry Michael Schumacher (or that other guy…Rubens Barichello) to a World Driver's Championship, and bring Ferrari themselves yet another Contructor's Championship. The F2005 is quite obviously evolution, not revolution for Ferrari (hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it), and what will likely be the last iteration of this evolution of V10-powered Ferrari F1 cars before the sport likely moves to smaller V8 engines in 2006. With Michael Schumacher winning the last 5 consecutive Driver's Championships, and Ferrari winning the last 6 consecutive Contructor's Championships, the team's recent success in F1 has been remarkable, and never before seen. And of course according to Jean Todt and Ross Brawn, the F2005 is the "best [F1 car] we have built to date."

In a study of the six top-selling automakers in the United States by the Ecology Center, Toyota scored highest for their use of safe, recyclable plastics in their vehicles. But something tells me this test should have been graded on a curve, as General Motors, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Honda, and Nissan all earned D's or D-pluses, while Toyota's high mark was nothing to go out and brag about, with the Japanese manufacturer only earning a grade of C. The study revealed that all six manufacturers are still heavily reliant on petrochemical-based plastics, which often release toxic chemicals and are difficult to recycle, and that many foreign manufacturers make better use of sustainable plastics because of tighter recycling requirements.

Rumors have been rampant the last few weeks that Sauber would be ending it's engine partnership with Ferrari after the 2005 season. However, the big question was, who would be supplying the Swiss team with engines from 2006 onward. Peter Sauber has long been rumored to be courting Volkswagen for a supply of engines, which would likely carry an Audi badge, to bring the German manufacturer to compete with rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW on motorsports grandest stage. But today, BMW.WilliamsF1 boss Frank Williams, confirmed that BMW would be supplying Sauber with customer engines starting in 2006. This is a reversal for BMW, who has long said that supplying a second team in F1 was not economically feasible.

Lexus is denying claims that the Cabir worm poses a threat to Bluetooth capable navigation systems on their vehicles. The denial rebuffs claims made by a Kapersky Labs, a Russian IT security firm, that Lexus navigation systems could be infected with the virus via infected Bluetooth enabled phones. Kaspersky Labs now says that no cars were actually found to be infected, and that the inquiry was posed by a customer who was curious as to the vulnerability of the navigation system on some Lexus models. While the possibility of infection does exist, it appears as though the worst case scenario would be an error message would be displated on the navigation system screen. Lexus owners should have little to worry about.

GM's $2 billion payoff to Fiat, to effectively end whatever relationship they might have had, appears to be having far ranging implications for Italian manufacturers. With the $2 billion procured from GM, Fiat went out are reclaimed control of Maserati from Ferrari with the hopes of infusing their struggling Alfo Romeo brand with some of Maserati's new found appeal. The payoff has also led to speculation that with Fiat's deep debt, they could be on the verge of selling their controlling stake of Ferrari. The sale of Ferrari would have huge implications for the Maranello based manufactuer, as they would likely then have to justify their expenses, namely their huge Formula One expenses, to a board of investors. Ferrari would then not be able to spend all their profits on their F1 program, as has been the case in the past. Interesting times in Italy indeed.

The final race seat on the 2005 Formula One grid was filled by Red Bull Racing when they confirmed that Austrian Christian Klien will partner David Coulthard on the grid at Melbourne. Tonio Liuzzi, the reigning F3000 champion and contender for the second seat at Red Bull Racing, will fulfill Red Bull's third driver testing duties. The decision to race Klien will be reviewed throughout the season, with Liuzzi waiting in the wings. The confirmation of Klien at Red Bull fills all the available race seats on the 2005 F1 grid, in an offseason that has seen a considerable amount of driver shuffling, the sale and purchase of two F1 teams, the introduction of India's first F1 driver, as well as a considerable amount of battling and strategic positioning over the future of the sport and it's regulations.

For the first time ever, Arizona will invoke the state's "stupid motorist law." The law, which was passed in 1995, would require a motorist to reimburse the state for the cost of rescues. The driver being charged, Paul Zalewski, 47, reportedly ignored repeated warnings, drove around traffic barricades, and attempted to cross a flooded street in his Hummer. Can't you just see where this one is going? Zalewski's Hummer became stranded along he and his six passengers, three of them children, and Maricopa County rescue workers spent 55-minutes on the ensuing rescue operation. A representative for the Maricopa County Sheriff's office said the bill for the rescue could exceed $800, which would cover the cost of fuel and maintenance on the helicopter used, the two employees in the helicopter, as well as insurance, and the cost of any damanges sustained during the rescue. After his rescue, Zalewski was promptly cited for reckless driving. Arizona, you are my hero…

When Ferrari took over the Maserati brand in 1997, it's aim was putting more money into their bank account. Something they have had difficulty doing in recent years. With Ferrari wanting to limit their production numbers to keep their cars exclusive and desirable, there was a ceiling as to how much money they could bring in. But with their acquision of Maserati, there was suddenly another source of income for the Maranello based manufacturer. Over several years, new models were introduced which would use Ferrari technology, and rebuilt the brand's credibility. Of course, reading between the lines, the acquisition of Maserati was a way for Ferrari to feed their massive, nearly $500 million per year, Formula One budget. With Fiat's purchase, the money that Maserati generated for Ferrari will no longer exist. So where will that money come from? Ferrari will surely have a pile of crash from Fiat to spend on F1 and develop new models, but they will be weaker in the long run as the purpose of Maserati was to help pay for their F1 program.