12/03/08 Formula One news and notes
December 3, 2008 by Marcus Michelson
In this July 20, 2008, file photo, Lewis Hamilton, front, of Britain, leads Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr., left, of Brazil, and Ferrari's Felipe Massa, of Brazil, during the German Grand Prix auto race at the Hockenheim Formula One racetrack in Hockenheim, Germany. Ferrari left the German Grand Prix in need of answers for an uncharacteristic problem: its car. Massa was third after starting on the front row and defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen managed three points as both drivers struggled throughout the 67-lap race won by Hamilton. (Martin Meissner/Associated Press)
• The Story: Germany could be without a Grand Prix starting in 2010. It would be the first time in more than a half-century that the country would not host a Formula One Weekend. This after hosting two races a year in the not-too-distant past. Deutsche Welle
• The comment: Formula One (by which I mean Bernie Ecclestone) is shooting itself in the foot again. No Grand Prix in Germany, France, Canada or the U.S. (and possibly China). But, hey, we get Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and a lousy street circuit in Valencia. About the only interesting change lately has been the Singapore night race.
• The story: Renault will debut their 2009 car on Jan. 20, which is also the day BMW Sauber will show off its new car. Planet-F1.com
The comment: Renault needs to keep things going in the direction they were heading at the end of the season. BMW needs to turn things around from a disappointing end-of-the-season sag.
• The story: The story most people saw coming, Giorgio Pantano complains about not getting an F1 ride for next season. The fact is, the 2008 GP2 champ is 29, which means there’s not much upside to a team taking a chance on him now. Autosport.com
The comment: Maybe we’ll see Pantano in IndyCar, as his European options appear to be exhausted. As a 31-year old, this saddens me. Now instead of finding work as a highly paid Formula One driver, I’ll have to focus on learning to throw a knuckleball. Maybe I’ll just stick to journalism.
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