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$Revision: 2.39 $, $Date: 2003/11/17 01:34:30 $
The FAQ is divided into several sections.
Introduction (Part 1)
1. Rules, regulations and governing body (Part 1)
2. The teams and cars (Part 1)
3. The drivers (Part 2)
4. The races (Part 2)
5. The circuits (Part 2)
6. Television (Part 2)
7. Sponsors (Part 2)
8. Manufacturers (Part 2)
9. Technical stuff (Part 2)
10. Miscellaneous (Part 2)
Corrections and additions to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
3. The drivers
==============
Q: Who drove for whom in 2003?
A:
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
1. Michael Schumacher (D)
2. Rubens Barrichello (BR)
T. Luca Badoer (I)
T. Felipe Massa (BR)
BMW WilliamsF1 Team
3. Juan Pablo Montoya (CO)
4. Ralf Schumacher (D) [Gené for I GP]
T. Marc Gené (E)
T. Marko Asmer (EST)
West McLaren Mercedes
5. David Coulthard (GB)
6. Kimi Räikkönen (SF)
T. Alex Wurz (A)
T. Pedro de la Rosa (E)
Mild Seven Renault F1 Team
7. Jarno Trulli (I)
8. Fernando Alonso (E)
T. Allan McNish (GB)
T. Franck Montagny (F)
Sauber Petronas
9. Nick Heidfeld (D)
10. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (D)
T. Neel Jani (CH)
Jordan Ford
11. Giancarlo Fisichella (I)
12. Ralph Firman (GB) [Zsolt Baumgartner (H) for H and I GPs]
Jaguar Racing
14. Mark Webber (AUS)
15. Justin Wilson (GB) [replaces Pizzonia from D GP]
Luck Strike BAR Honda
16. Jacques Villeneuve (CDN) [Sato for J GP]
17. Jenson Button (GB)
T. Anthony Davidson (GB)
T. Takuma Sato (J)
European Minardi Cosworth
18. Nicolas Kiesa (DK) [replaces Wilson from D GP]
19. Jos Verstappen (NL)
T. Matteo Bobbi (I)
T. Gianmaria Bruni (I)
T. Sergey Zlobin (RUS)
Panasonic Toyota Racing
20. Olivier Panis (F)
21. Cristiano Da Matta (BR)
T. Ricardo Zonta (BR)
T = Test Driver
Q: Who will be driving for whom in 2004?
A: These have been officially announced [OA] or otherwise appear firm:
Ferrari: MSchumacher, Barrichello
Williams: Montoya, RSchumacher; Gené test
McLaren: Coulthard, Räikkönen; Wurz, de la Rosa test OA
Renault: Alonso, Trulli; Montagny [no McNish] test OA
BAR: Button, Sato OA; Davidson? test
Sauber: Fisichella, Massa OA
Jaguar: Webber
Toyota: Panis, Da Matta; Zonta test OA
Jordan:
Minardi: Giammaria Bruni (I)?
Q: How much does driver x make?
A: According to /F1 Magazine/, March 2002, these were the current
salaries (and career earnings) in millions of US$, not including
endorsement or other side deals:
M Schumacher $32 ($197)
J Villeneuve $21 ($69)
E Irvine $12 ($52)
R Schumacher $12 ($32)
H-H Frentzen $8 * ($31)
D Coulthard $8 ($18)
K Raikkonen $8 ($8)
J Trulli $6 ($16)
R Barrichello $5.5 ($28)
G Fisichella $5 ($27)
J Button $4.5 ($9)
M Salo $3.5 ($8)
JP Montoya $3.5 ($6)
O Panis $3 ($12)
N Heidfeld $1.5 ($4)
P de la Rosa $1.5 ($2)
A McNish $1.5 ($2)
T Sato $1 ($1)
F Massa $0.5 ($1)
E Bernoldi nil (nil)
M Webber nil (nil)
A Yoong nil (nil)
*Frentzen's $8m was to be paid partly by Arrows and partly by Jordan.
Q: Who won the drivers championship in the year ....?
A:
2003 Michael Schumacher (D)
2002 Michael Schumacher (D)
2001 Michael Schumacher (D)
2000 Michael Schumacher (D)
1999 Mika Häkkinen (SF)
1998 Mika Häkkinen (SF)
1997 Jacques Villeneuve (CDN)
1996 Damon Hill (GB)
1995 Michael Schumacher (D)
1994 Michael Schumacher (D)
1993 Alain Prost (F)
1992 Nigel Mansell (GB)
1991 Ayrton Senna (BR)
1990 Ayrton Senna (BR)
1989 Alain Prost (F)
1988 Ayrton Senna (BR)
1987 Nelson Piquet (BR)
1986 Alain Prost (F)
1985 Alain Prost (F)
1984 Niki Lauda (A)
1983 Nelson Piquet (BR)
1982 Keke Rosberg (SF)
1981 Nelson Piquet (BR)
1980 Alan Jones (AUS)
1979 Jody Scheckter (ZA)
1978 Mario Andretti (USA)
1977 Niki Lauda (A)
1976 James Hunt (GB)
1975 Niki Lauda (A)
1974 Emerson Fittipaldi (BR)
1973 Jackie Stewart (GB)
1972 Emerson Fittipaldi BR
1971 Jackie Stewart (GB)
1970 Jochen Rindt (A)
1969 Jackie Stewart (GB)
1968 Graham Hill (GB)
1967 Denny Hulme (NZ)
1966 Jack Brabham (AUS)
1965 Jim Clark (GB)
1964 John Surtees (GB)
1963 Jim Clark (GB)
1962 Graham Hill (GB)
1961 Phil Hill (USA)
1960 Jack Brabham (AUS)
1959 Jack Brabham (AUS)
1958 Mike Hawthorn (GB)
1957 Juan Manuel Fangio (RA)
1956 Juan Manuel Fangio (RA)
1955 Juan Manuel Fangio (RA)
1954 Juan Manuel Fangio (RA)
1953 Alberto Ascari (I)
1952 Alberto Ascari (I)
1951 Juan Manuel Fangio (RA)
1950 Giuseppe Farina (I)
Q: How many races has y won?
A: See the next answer.
4. The races
============
Q: Who won x race? Who raced car y in z?
A: The best source for this is Forix at http://www.forix.com - it has
comprehensive results for championship and non-championship races
extending back before 1950. Unfortunately in early 2003 they converted
to a subscription service. Free sources of some of this information
are out there, including http://www.grandprix.com/gpemain.html and
http://www.f1db.com; other recommendations are welcome.
Q: What was the calendar for 2003?
A:
09 Mar Australia (Melbourne)
23 Mar Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
06 Apr Brazil (São Paulo)
20 Apr San Marino (Imola)
04 May Spain (Barcelona)
18 May Austria (Spielberg)
01 Jun Monaco (Monaco)
15 Jun Canada (Montréal)
29 Jun Europe (Nürburgring)
06 Jul France (Magny-Cours)
20 Jul Great Britain (Silverstone)
03 Aug Germany (Hockenheim)
24 Aug Hungary (Budapest)
14 Sep Italy (Monza)
28 Sep USA (Indianapolis)
12 Oct Japan (Suzuka)
---
Belgium, 31 Aug, was deleted by the FIA 28 October 2002 due to the
government's disallowing of tobacco sponsorship in advance of the
European Union's 2006 deadline, but is scheduled to return in
2004 following reversal of the policy.
Q: What is the calendar for 2004?
A: As amended by the World Motor Sport Council on 15 October 2003:
07 Mar Australia (Melbourne)
21 Mar Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
04 Apr Bahrain (Manama)*
25 Apr San Marino (Imola)
09 May Spain (Barcelona)
23 May Monaco (Monaco)
30 May Europe (Nürburgring)
13 Jun Canada (Montréal)**
20 Jun USA (Indianapolis)
04 Jul Great Britain (Silverstone)
11 Jul France (Magny-Cours)***
25 Jul Germany (Hockenheim)
15 Aug Hungary (Budapest)
29 Aug Belgium (Spa)
12 Sep Italy (Monza)
26 Sep China (Shanghai)*
10 Oct Japan (Suzuka)
24 Oct Brazil (São Paulo)
---
*Subject to curcuit approval
**Subject to a satisfactory financial agreement with competing teams
regarding the absence of tobacco sponsorship
***Subject to contract
Q: Why does the Monaco Grand Prix move around in the calendar?
A: The Thursday of the Monaco meeting is Ascension Day, and therefore
moves with Easter.
Q: What time is qualifying and the race?
A: The FIA plan for 2003 shows Friday and Saturday qualifying sessions at
1400 local time. That's generally true for the Sunday races as well,
but there are exceptions: Malaysia (1500); Canada, Great Britain, and
the United States (1300), and Japan (1430). And remember that at
Monaco the "Friday" program takes place on Thursday (permitting the
streets to be reopened Friday for normal commerce).
Q: Where can I get lap charts for races on the web?
A: Accurate, complete lap charts have been hard to come by. The official
FIA press page at http://www.fia.com/homepage/i_pres-a.htm usually links
to graphical lap charts. Frighteningly complete data (including sector
times) is found at http://f1.tagheuer.com (requires Flash).
5. The circuits
===============
Q: What circuits are rumoured to be getting races?
A: New events with contracts for 2004 GPs are Bahrain (circuit under
construction a few miles from the capital, Manama) and China
(circuit being built at Shanghai). A contract to hold a GP in
Turkey beginning in August 2005 has been announced, and ground has
been broken on a track outside Istanbul. Rumors have also mentioned
Egypt, India (Hyderabad), Russia, and South Korea (Chinhae).
The Concorde Agreement sets a maximum of 17 GPs per year; although
the 2004 calendar shows 18 races clearly some existing events will
have to go away to make room. Bernie Ecclestone has announced that the
2003 Austrian GP was the last; the Canadian GP was left off the first
2004 calendar due to anti-tobacco legislation coming into force (it's
back on, provisionally). Pressure continues on Silverstone
and Imola (inadequate facilities), and may increase after 2004
if Turkey and possibly others do come on-line. And the move of the
European Union to bring forward a tobacco ad ban from the agreed-on
late 2006 to mid-2005 has the FIA talking openly about leaving Europe
entirely.
Q: Where can I find maps of the circuits used in F1 racing?
A: A good source of current and historical information is at
http://www.racingcircuits.net; select "FIA Formula 1 World
Championship" under "Circuits by Series," then the year of interest
in the rightmost frame, then the specific circuit. Changes for 2003
included revisions at Monaco from the exit of the swimming pool area
around past the pits, a 400m extension of the Hungaroring involving
changes to the first corner and areas behind the pits, changes to the
final corner and pit entrance at Magny Cours, tightening of the Veedol
chicane at the Nürburgring, and easing of the final chicane at Suzuka.
6. Television
=============
Q: I've heard about digital or pay-per-view F1. How does that work?
A: From a commercial point of view, not well enough. Bernie Ecclestone's
Formula One Management, which had sent crew and equipment to each GP
to provide seven channels of custom programming to pay-per-view
subscribers in several European countries, has pulled the plug for
2003 due to lower than expected subscriptions. It was then promised that
the digital resouces would be focussed "on providing the best live
feed to our free-to-air broadcasters." This apparently proved unworkable,
and the entire operation was been mothballed; rumors of a resurrection,
perhaps as early as 2004, persist.
Q: How come the television viewing figures for F1 are bigger than the world
population?
A: It is a figure used for comparison by the advertising industry and has no
value as an absolute. That's the way the Olympic Games is counted and it's
the way the Football World Cup is counted, so it's the way F1 is counted.
The most recent figures suggest that the viewers for 1999 were
57,754,361,716. This starts to make more sense when you realise that
every "viewing" counts. If you watch the race, and the repeat/highlights,
that's 2 for a start. Then remember it's 16 times a year (17 this
year...), so that's 34. Do you watch the qualifying? Add another 17... Did
you see any clips on the news? Several? Add another 60 or so. OK, so
you alone viewed F1 probably 100 times last year...
Significant erosion of F1 viewing figures was noted in most countries over
the course of the 2002 season. In addition to sparking a host of rules
change proposals to make racing more competitive, this may have played a
role in the death of digital pay-per-view in favor of improved free-to-air
coverage for 2003.
Q: I'm visiting the United States. Is there TV coverage of F1 events there?
A: Speed Channel (http://www.speedtv.com), a cable and satellite service
that is widely, but not universally, available, has an exclusive
contract for 2003-05. Expect live coverage of Friday and Saturday
qualifying sessions and the race itself.
7. Sponsors
===========
Q: When did the CSI (Commission Sportive Internationale, forerunner of FISA)
allow outside sponsorship for F1 cars?
A: For the 1968 season.
Q: Which team first had a sponsor, the first race with sponsor, and the
sponsor's name?
A: At the 1968 Spanish GP, Lotus appeared in the red and gold livery of Gold
Leaf Cigarettes.
Q: What team brought Marlboro into F1 and when?
A: Marlboro came into F1 as teams sponsor in 1972 with the BRM team.
They 'eased' their way in with a low-key personal contract for Jo Siffert in
1970. Seppi carried logos on helmet and overalls for two seasons, as did his
STP March in '70 and his Yardley BRM in '71. This may well have been the
genesis of Marlboro's 'World Championship Team' concept, the umbrella
name for individual driver sponsorships which were additional to team
contracts.
Q: What is the longest running team/sponsor conection (current and all-time)?
A: Currently, the Marlboro/Ferrari partnership is in its 20th season (sponsor
since 1984, title sponsor since 1997). The longest all-time is 23 seasons
for Marlboro and McLaren (1974-1996).
Q: Who were the primary sponsors for each F1 team in 2003?
A:
BAR: Lucky Strike (cigarettes)
Ferrari: Marlboro (cigarettes)
Jaguar: HSBC (banking)
Jordan: Benson & Hedges (cigarettes)
McLaren: West (cigarettes)
Minardi: Trust (computer peripherals)
Renault: Mild Seven (cigarettes)
Sauber: Petronas (oil)
Williams: BMW, Hewlett-Packard (electronics)
Toyota: Panasonic (electronics)
Q: How much do the top sponsors actually spend?
A: The top 20, according to /F1 Magazine/, March 2002 (in millions of US$):
Honda $210m (110 to BAR, 100 to Jordan)
Renault $170
Toyota $140
Daimler/Chrysler $125
FMC $125
BMW $115
BAT $88
P.Morris $87
Fiat/Agnelli $85
Exxon Mobil $58 (shared by Toyota & McLaren)
Reemsta (West) $50
Vodafone $41
Petronas $38
Compaq [now HP] $36
DHL/Deutsche Post $36
Asiatech $35
Panasonic $31
Mild Seven $30
Shell $29
Elf $27
8. Manufacturers
================
Q: Has Jaguar ever been in F1 before?
A: Clemente Biondetti drove a Jaguar-engined Ferrari 166 in the 1950
Italian GP. He qualified it 32 seconds (27%) behind Fangio, and retired from
the race on lap 17 with a blown engine.
When Moss, Dean Delamont and John "Autocar, not Cooper" Cooper were
casting about for bits for a new F2 car for him (the project that eventually
became the first of the two Cooper-Altas) there was apparently an attempt to
secure an experimental 2.0l 4-cyl Jaguar engine for that.
Paul Emery fitted a 2.4 Jag engine with fuel injection to his Emeryson
special, and did one F1 clubbie in '57. (The car had started life with a
linered-down Aston Martin engine for 2.0l F2, then acquired a bored-out
Alta for 2.5l F1...)
Q: Who owns Ilmor?
A: It's now Mercedes-Ilmor; DaimlerChrysler raised its stake to 55% in
September 2002. The remainder is split evenly among Mario Illien,
Paul Morgan's widow Liz, and Roger Penske, although there is also
an agreement under which DaimlerChrysler will progressively buy them
out by 2005.
9. Technical Stuff
==================
Q: What is a desmodromic valve?
A: Conventional poppet valves are opened by the direct or indirect
mechanical action of a cam and are closed by the action of a spring,
the latter being a coil or hairpin of metal or (in some recent
F1 engines) a chamber of compressed gas. Desmodromic valves are
both opened and closed by mechanical action, for example by an
additional cam lobe on the camshaft acting through fingers or
other structures.
Although desmodromic valves were used in Grand Prix racing as
early as 1914 and sporadically thereafter, significant success
was not achieved before the Mercedes Benz W196 of 1954-55.
Q: What is the fuel made of?
A: Essentially the fuel must be made from the same
components as pump fuels and with limits on the proportions of
individual components which are currently more stringent than those
applied to pump fuels in Europe.
Within those strict parameters, the fuel companies can - and do -
tailor the fuels to specific engines, engine maps and circuit
configurations. There is constant research and as many as three or
four different blends may used throughout a season, in line with
engine developments and circuit requirements.
A sample of each new batch of fuel is sent to the FIA to be tested to
ensure that it complies with the rules and is then 'fingerprinted'.
Samples are taken at the circuits to ensure that the fuel being used
in the cars matches this 'fingerprint'.
10. Miscellaneous
=================
Q: What colour is British Racing Green?
A: There isn't just one colour. See David Betts' photos at
http://dbetts.motorsport.org.uk/brg for many examples (free registration
required).
Q: What are the national racing colours?
A: Country; car colour; number colour:
Egypt; light-lilac; red on white
Argentina; car:blue/bonnet: black; red on white
Belgium; yellow; black
Brazil; light-yellow/green; black
Bulgaria; car: green/bonnet: white; red on white
Chile; car: red/bonnet: blue/rear end: white; half blue and half red
on white or entirely red
Germany; white (yes, white was indeed Germany's official colour); red
Finland; black; blue on white
France; blue; white
Great Britain; green; white
Ireland; green (horizontal orange stripe); white
Italy; red; white
Luxemburg; grey; white on red
Monaco; white (horizontal red stripe); black on white
Netherlands; orange; white
Poland; white/rear end: white; red
Romania; navy blue/rear end: red; yellow
Sweden; lower part: blue/upper part: yellow/3 yellow stripes on the
bonnet; white
Switzerland; car: red/bonnet: white; black
Spain; car: red/bonnet: yellow; black on yellow/white on red
Thailand; car: light-blue/wheels: light-yellow/horizontal yellow
stripe; white on blue
Czechoslovakia; car: white/bonnet: blue and white/rear end: red; blue
Hungary; car: white/bonnet: red/ rear end: green; black
USA; car: white/rear end: blue; blue on white
Q: What about drug testing in F1?
A: From an FIA statement on 1/10/99 "For several years, the FIA and the FIM
have strictly applied the regulations of the International Olympic
Committee, with numerous and repeated controls. Both federations are
fully prepared to intensify checks should the need arise."
Q: What are those strips sticking out of the ground in the pit lane?
A: They are there to ground the static electricity that builds up in the
car during a race, and try and prevent a pit lane fire.
Q: Who is Nazir Hoosein?
A: Nazir Hoosein is the steward (from India. The (in)famous movie
theater owner from Munbai) who was the president of the (3) stewards
in Brazil 98, and so he was the one behind the decision to disallow
McLaren braking system.
Nazir Hoosein was also the president of the stewards in Brazil '97,
when the drivers had problems with a white line on the pit entry
(they were told at first to not cross it, but they managed to convince
the stewards that it was more dangerous to avoid it). You might have
noticed that the pit entry since 98 was much longer and the reason is
probably to avoid that "problem", which seemed to exist only on
Hoosein's head.
After the administrative mistake at the British GP in 98, he
voluntarilty gave up his Steward licence. He has since had it
given back. He resurfaced as Chief Steward at the 2002 Malaysian
GP, where Juan Pablo Montoya was given a controversial "drive-through"
penalty, and was also one of the Stewards at the 2003 German GP,
where Ralf Schumacher was penalized for causing a first-corner
accident.
Q: What was the music the BBC used for the Grand Prix?
A: "The Chain", by Fleetwood Mac, on the album "Rumo(u)rs"
Q: Are there any novels based on Formula 1?
A: Alistair Maclean's "The Way to Dusty Death" is one of the better
known ones.
Bob Judd wrote a series of "throbbing groin and motor racing" novels
called "Formula 1", "Phoenix", "Indy", "Monza", "Silverstone" and "Juice"
in the UK, but they have slightly different names in the US (Silverstone
is known as Spin in the states, and "Phoenix" as "Burn" for example).
Sally Armstrong wrote a novel called "Racers" which it claims was
researched with help of Williams Grand Prix Engineering. It is very
much a throbbing groins novel, and does beg the question exactly
what was going on at Williams in the early 90s...
Another few are "Eye of the Cobra" by Christopher Sherlock and
"White Death" by Andrew Neilsen, "The Last Open Road" by
B.S. Levy, and "Oversteer" & "Dead Pedal" by Ken Vose, plus
"Fine Tune" by Gerald Hammond.
Douglas Rutherford wrote a whole series of books in the 1950s,
including "Grand Prix Murder", "The Gilt-Edged Cockpit" and
"The Chequered Flag".
Q: What is a "Jordan Stopwatch" and a "Ferrari Ruler"?
A: The first of these terms refers to the old practice of Jordan
having stunning testing times, only to falter during the season.
It is sometimes used as a ruse to increase sponsorship in a team,
as a fast car is easier to sell to corporate bods.
A Ferrari Ruler, on the other hand, is the idea that if you measure
something in a specific way then it is legal. It comes about from the
1999 Malaysian Grand Prix, where if you measured the bargeboards in a
specific way, then they were legal.
Q: What is "Remus?"
A: Remus is an ERA (English Racing Automobiles) - specifically, ERA R6B.
One of the three raced by Prince Bira before the war, the others being
Romulus and Hanuman.
Raced as a GP car post-war, being driven by John Bolster amongst
others. It was then owned and raced by Bill Moss for many years in UK
club motorsport and then historic events before passing to Patrick
Lindsay and, after his death, his son Ludovic.
Probably the most raced car ever.
For more information, see
http://www.brooklandstrack.co.uk/Carslist/biraera.htm
--
Mark Jackson - http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~mjackson
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