3.D BFC Team Photos 2016-2017

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The pros and (no) cons of F1 refueling

Much has been written about the possible return of refueling to spice up Formula 1 races and I admit that I am a big fan of the concept. For me refueling will add a very intersting dimension to strategy, and is far more acceptable in terms of real racing than DRS and...

Al Unser Junior and how memory fades

The other day I was trawling the internet (as one does) and stumbled upon an interview with Al Unser Junior who in 1991 [corrected] had a brief flirtation with Williams during a winter test in Estoril, and it appears the sands of time have dulled his memory. Little Al...

Have Mercedes shown Ferrari the Magic Button

In his usual brash style Helmut Marko has come out and accused Mercedes of colluding with Ferrari, hence the reason why the Maranello outfit has made such huge strides since last season and now is second only to Mercedes in the Formula 1 pecking order. Marko said...

Are the Mercedes F1 bosses out of their depth?

For Mercedes the 2014 Formula 1 season has been an astonishing roller-coaster ride of success, with six wins out of six races and most of their rivals predicting that the Silver Arrows are capable of making it a clean sweep of 19 victories this season. Of course time...

The Ferrari F14T is as fast as a SUV

Honestly, I set out to try and write nice, positive things about Ferrari ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, as I have many friends and even family that count themselves as tifosi – but alas I am struggling to see any light at the end of the [wind] tunnel for...

Ferrari pave the way for the return of Ross Brawn

Stefano Domenicali finally relinquished his post as team principal of Ferrari, for many the decision was long ovedue and although he resigned the post the truth is he was sent packing but given the diginified option of resignation – arrivederci Stefano, bygones are...

Montezemolo and his underperforming team…and taxi drivers

Luca di Montezemolo made a grand entrance in Bahrain, having sent an advance warning to all and sundry that he was attending round three of the championship and seeking urgent talks with the powers that be of Formula 1, as he (and the thousands of Ferrari fans polled)...

Williams show exactly why they are Formula 1’s classiest act

Shortly after the Williams team orders fiasco – during the Malaysian Grand Prix – I wrote an open letter to Felipe Massa praising the Brazilian in the aftermath of the Sepang race. The letter was highly critical of his team’s actions and it gave my personal opinion of...

Bravo Felipe Massa!

I trust you are well, amigo! Good to see you in your new Williams team with the Martini branding – very retro, very historic and very cool. However, I must admit that not seeing you in red has taken some getting used to, but now the white racing overall is starting to...

The quiet before the storm

Every year when Formula 1 cars are launched there is a collective outcry of how ugly the beasts are, but as the eyes adjust to the new shapes the anger dissipates and acceptance descends on the eager masses. The cool thing about the new cars breaking cover is that it...

Remembering a Kartdrome endurance legend

This weekend the Dubai Kartdrome hosts the final round of the Endurance Championship driven by Mini, an event which has been a mainstay of the venue since the inception in 2004. The December edition is invariably one of the most anticipated as it draws not only the...

A salute to the unsung heroes

Sad beyond words. Death is always unacceptable. Death in a high profile sport is shocking, and alas by its nature motor racing too often grabs headlines for fatalities. The motorsport world was deeply saddened to learn of the death of a marshal during race day at the...

Motor mouth: Formula 1 testing

Back in 2007 when the powers that be decreed that Formula One testing was to be limited to 30,000km, and that a strict curb on in-season testing would be enforced, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Apparently it would address the issue of massive expenditure at...

Not learning from one mistake too many

I have a soft spot for Romain Grosjean, in a Formula fan kind of way, since the first time I saw him in action in 2008 when he raced in the GP2 Asia Series at our very own Dubai Autodrome. In my position as communications manager for the venue I got to chat with him a...

F1: A farce playing out on slippery tyres

In the aftermath of an intriguing and incident packed Monaco Grand Prix we should be talking about Nico Rosberg’s splendid win and history being made on the streets where he grew up. It should be on some of the big overtaking moves that worked and others that didn’t,...

McLaren Honda: Back to the future

Ferrari are undoubtedly the most popular team in Formula One, perhaps even in the whole motorsport world. However, as an avid F1 follower since the early seventies, my allegiance has never really been with the teams, but rather with the drivers. To me, they are the...

Thrills and spills on slippery Paris circuit

I had the good fortune of accompanying the UAE contingent to the SWS Grand Finals at Circuit du RKC in France this past weekend. The world’s best SWS leisure kart drivers and teams were in action to decide the best of the best during a two-day contest. In the SWS...

Sebastian Vettel has got 2013 season sewn up

With hostilities set to resume this weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, I am going to be a party-pooper and say that the 2013 Formula 1 season is already done and dusted. Although my heart says: ‘Silly call, as the season is only four races old’; my head...

Marc Marquez: MotoGP’s new head-turner

In every sport there comes a time when a special talent emerges. There are many ways to describe them: prodigy, phenomenon, genius, whizkid or wunderkind. These huge talents sometimes fizzle out or prove a false alarm, but on the rare occasions an individual does...

Talk about taking things down to the wire

Over the years motorsport has delivered some memorable and decisive season finales. In F1, back in 2008, Lewis Hamilton ‘stole’ the title from Felipe Massa on the final lap of the final race at Interlagos. Fast forward to 2010 with the championship apparently a last...

Is the Red Bull RB10 going to be Newey’s first flop since the RB4

Adrian Newey made a hasty departure from Jerez when it was evident that the marriage between his latest brainchild and the all new Renault V6 turbo, plus all the hybrid appendages, were akin to fire and ice when all bolted together in the original Red Bull RB10...

Al Qubaisi’s win is one for the endurance racing annals

The eighth edition of the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai has come and gone. Yet again it delivered an epic contest and will be long remembered for the triumph over adversity which saw the Emirati driver Khalid Al Qubaisi win the event for the second year running. This time...