Metro F1 - The gossip from F1's pit lane, paddock and parties from our F1 Correspondent Adam Hay-Nicholls. tag:www.metrof1.com,2009-03-12:/blogs/metrof1//4 2010-03-11T17:23:06Z The gossip from F1's pit lane, paddock and parties from our F1 Correspondent Adam Hay-Nicholls. Movable Type 4.21-en Desert duties tag:www.metrof1.com,2010:/blogs/metrof1//4.450 2010-03-11T17:00:00Z 2010-03-11T17:23:06Z I arrived in Bahrain this morning and went straight to work. Most of the circus arrived Tuesday or Wednesday to acclimatize, but a) I wanted my off season to last as long as possible and b) I am too tight... Adam Hay-Nicholls
Last year was pretty slick when I arrived - I was met by a man with a paddle with my name on and escorted away in my own chauffered Yukon. This year, it was less impressive. There were a row of BIC minibuses outside the airport, and the drivers didn't seem keen to go anywhere. After I prodded them for about 20 minutes they grudgingly gave me a lift... to the wrong hotel.

I was taken to the Al Manzir 1, but was meant to be at Al Manzir 2. They don't do street names here, just PO Boxes. That's fine, if you're a postman.

The hotel doesn't have a very inspiring view, but it's got huge windows nevertheless. The place is about five times the size of a regular hotel room, with its own dining room and everything, done up with chandeliers like some kind of boudoir. There's no economy of space here.


My sitting room

I finally got to the track just after noon. We had the big press conference - four world champions plus Massa. It would be nice to see him join that club this year.

I then sat in on interviews with Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.


The paddock this evening

Mercedes had a drinks reception tonight, and I ended up talking cars with Tonio Liuzzi. He's driving a C36AMG at the moment, but is eying up the E63 Coupe when it comes off the production line. Apparently Schumi is getting the first one.

He reckons the Force India is going to be qualifying between eighth and 14th this year, so behind the top four, mixing it with Sauber and Toro Rosso.

I had dinner with Karun Chandhok and Bruno Senna. Karun is a bit apprehensive about racing a car he's never driven before, but both these guys are on top form. I think I'll have dinner down at HRT a lot this year - great guys.

Apparently Alain Prost is on the stewards panel this race, the FIA having voted in favour of using  the expertise and judgment of those who really know what's going on in the cockpit. This is great news. Unless, I put it to Bruno, your name is Senna. We had a bit of a laugh about that. His manager, Chris Goodwin, suggested Nelson Piquet could be on the panel at the next one!


]]> It's like he never left tag:www.metrof1.com,2010:/blogs/metrof1//4.449 2010-03-11T16:55:56Z 2010-03-11T16:59:43Z Michael Schumacher strides into his first F1 press conference in three and a half years before all the other drivers, like he's practicing for Turn One. It's strange not to see him wearing red, but it feels like he's never... Adam Hay-Nicholls

Michael Schumacher strides into his first F1 press conference in three and a half years before all the other drivers, like he's practicing for Turn One. It's strange not to see him wearing red, but it feels like he's never been away. He doesn't look a day older for a start, and if anything he seems thinner. His haircut never changes - not that you would ever know under the permanently affixed baseball cap.

He sits centre stage, surrounded by Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa. These are the men that have dominated F1 since he retired in 2006. "It's good to have Michael back because he makes me feel young again," jokes Jenson, who turned 30 recently. Michael nods sagely, bearing a wide smile.

Everyone is dressed in t-shirts except Michael. He is in his race suit. A signal, perhaps, that he's ready.

It's Thursday afternoon in Bahrain. One journalist asks the drivers if they've been out to inspect the track. Only one hand goes up: Michael's.

The current generation of drivers is the most competitive for years. Possibly decades. But if there was ever a warning not to be complacent, it's to sit next to the seven times chap and hear that, while you were in bed, he was looking at braking points.

Fernando acknowledges this: "Winning with Michael on the track has more value". Michael appreciates the sentiment, and pats the Spaniard's shoulder. He bowed out before when Alonso beat him. He has since said, after 15 years of campaigning in F1, he was tired. Now he has recharged his batteries.

Another journalist perks up: "You're twice a winner here. What do you think about the circuit?" Michael's response is instant: "Bring on number three."


]]> Jenson rings the changes tag:www.metrof1.com,2010:/blogs/metrof1//4.448 2010-03-11T16:49:12Z 2010-03-11T16:55:48Z McLaren are a great team. They've won 12 drivers titles. But they are also idiosyncratic. How will Jenson adapt to their strict rules and corporate expectation? Last year he did six PR days, this year he will do around 80.... Adam Hay-Nicholls

McLaren are a great team. They've won 12 drivers titles. But they are also idiosyncratic. How will Jenson adapt to their strict rules and corporate expectation? Last year he did six PR days, this year he will do around 80. "Dress me up as a clown if you want to - I don't care. As long as we've got a quick car," he chuckles. Jenson is a happy-go-lucky chap, at least on the outside. He has a steely core, though. When says all he cares about is the car, he really means it.

The majority of commentators have tipped Lewis Hamilton to dominate, even though the number '1' is on his team mate's car. He knows McLaren intimately, and is a more aggressive racer than Button. But that may be where Button has an advantage. With no refueling, tyre preservation will be key to victory.

"It's like an endurance race, like Le Mans," says Jenson. "The characteristics of the car change from high to low fuel loads in terms of balance. We have to adapt our driving to the wear of the tyres, and we have to be gentle because if you damage your tyres on lap three you're screwed."

Button is silky smooth, whereas Hamilton, traditionally, is not. Sunday promises a fascinating insight. The notorious British press corps is already fanning the flames. "We know there's going to be a lot of interest," concedes the champ. "Every single practice session, every single qualifying session, every single race, one of us will be in front of the other."

He talks of the importance of teamwork - how, by sharing information, the pair will be faster and the team will be stronger. "The press will do their thing, but the important thing for us is that they're talking about us at the end of the year, because that's when championships will be decided."

Jenson has celebrated a decade in F1. He's a generation older than Hamilton, and was initially irritated by Hamilton's immediate success while Button had never had a good car before last year. Finally, in 2009, they got a chance to race each other. In the same car, there will be no excuses for either driver. Button must be apprehensive.

"I'd say the other way round. I had a big comfort zone at Brawn, definitely, and it would have been a much more comfortable choice to have stayed there - but a much less exciting choice as well.

"For me, coming here is a hell of a challenge. It's a new team, racing against a new team mate who's achieved a lot in the sport and it's exciting. As people, I don't think we like change very often but I'm really, really looking forward to this change."


]]> EK076 tag:www.metrof1.com,2010:/blogs/metrof1//4.447 2010-03-11T10:06:42Z 2010-03-11T16:48:58Z Sleeping pills, ear plugs and eye mask at the ready.Food: Gravlax with potato salad / Lamb with couscous / Mango and coconut cakeDrink: White wine from NZFilms watched: The Invention of Lying / The Informant... Adam Hay-Nicholls
Food: Gravlax with potato salad / Lamb with couscous / Mango and coconut cake

Drink: White wine from NZ

Films watched: The Invention of Lying / The Informant



]]> Why 2010 is going to be a belter tag:www.metrof1.com,2010:/blogs/metrof1//4.446 2010-03-10T01:46:24Z 2010-03-10T01:54:47Z Michael Schumacher is in for a massive shock. He may have led a staggering 5,108 laps in F1, between 1991 and 2006 - enough to lead every lap of every race for 85 consecutive grands prix - but in 2010... Adam Hay-Nicholls

Michael Schumacher is in for a massive shock. He may have led a staggering 5,108 laps in F1, between 1991 and 2006 - enough to lead every lap of every race for 85 consecutive grands prix - but in 2010 he will, at the age of 41, meet his toughest competition yet.

Not because he's the oldest driver on the grid, or that his Mercedes (essentially the Brawn BGP002 re-branded) is sub-par. It will be tough because the gaps between the four top teams could be filled by a cigarette paper. And then there are the drivers: Michael has already finished second to Fernando Alonso twice, which is not heartening for the German. And this year, for the first time, he will face Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. Ironically, the latter is nicknamed Baby Schumi.

Then there's Mark Webber, reigning champ Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg, Schumacher's upstart team mate who's out to prove he's not a pushover, like Schumi's previous number two's.

Winter testing has confirmed Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes are the teams to beat - probably in that order.

In-race re-fueling is banned, and thus the smoothest drivers will excel as they grapple with the changing characteristics of the car and the wear on the tyres.

Experts nod that this could be an advantage to Button, whose mechanical sensitivity is reminiscent of Alain Prost's. Prost, of course, had a bitter rivalry with the Ayrton Senna at McLaren back in the 80s. Could the same occur between countrymen Button and Hamilton? Is Button's decision to move in under the same roof as Lewis - who has been with McLaren since he was a child - inspired or barking mad? Lewis, like Michael and Ayrton were in their heyday, is not only a precocious talent, he can also fight dirty.

Speaking of Senna, the name (by which I mean THE name) returns to F1 this year - something we can all be very excited about. But let's not hold too much hope for Bruno. He's racing for a new team, HRT (a name that inspires chuckles among English speakers, as it's the acronym for Hormone Replacement Therapy) which looked unlikely to make the grid this weekend until a Spanish investor swept in to save it.

HRT will join rookies Lotus and Virgin Racing at the back of the grid. It's not easy launching a new team against Ferrari - who have been in the F1 business 60 years. They'll be several seconds off the pace.

The new teams have added some winter controversy to the 2010 story, which looks set to be vintage. It seems we say that every year, but F1 keeps getting more and more unpredictable. At least, it has been since Schumacher left. Let's hope he doesn't provoke a snooze-fest by winning every race again. It would be great to see him add a few more to his record of 91 victories, though. Give the youngsters an old school kicking. As Michael (and the generation of racers he's inspired) might say: "For sure."


]]> Here we go again... tag:www.metrof1.com,2010:/blogs/metrof1//4.445 2010-03-10T01:43:44Z 2010-03-10T02:02:53Z Wednesday is now upon us. The season starts here for me - I fly to Bahrain tonight. The start of a new season brings mixed feelings. On the one hand, with Schumacher back (and with Brawn), and the battle of... Adam Hay-Nicholls
On the one hand, with Schumacher back (and with Brawn), and the battle of Britain down at McLaren, there's an awful lot to look forward to.

On the other hand, I'm about to leave home for five weeks. When you're busy chasing F1 drivers round the place, knocking back cocktails on the other side of the world, and doing what it takes to earn a living there's little time for getting homesick. But packing for the first race still feels like when I was packing for the start of term at boarding school.

Actually, F1 is just like boarding school - there are lots of rules, some bullying, and fun stuff too like sport and midnight snacks. It's also very expensive!

I suppose I'd better get around to packing...



]]> Button's new wheels tag:www.metrof1.com,2010:/blogs/metrof1//4.444 2010-03-10T01:39:20Z 2010-03-10T01:42:56Z Jenson's been trying a black cab for size, courtesy of a new Walkers Crisps viral, where the champ surprises the English village of Sandwich with his b-road prowess.... Adam Hay-Nicholls


]]> Driving Miss Ecclestone (or rather being driven by...) tag:www.metrof1.com,2010:/blogs/metrof1//4.443 2010-03-08T18:35:22Z 2010-03-08T18:55:18Z Tamara's car is parked outside her dad's Knightsbridge office, and there's a ticket under the windscreen wiper. I try to couch the bad news carefully: "Is that your black Range Rover? Er... I think you might have a parking ticket".... Adam Hay-Nicholls
The carefree abandon of a billionaire's daughter, perhaps. But Tamara is on the way to a PETA function, to campaign against animal cruelty. So, not carefree then. There's no fur in this socialite's closet - she's gone naked for a series of PETA adverts. When we pull up, she pops the ticket in her handbag. She'll get around to dealing with it.

Her love of furry creatures is largely what's responsible for the behemoth 4x4 that resides in front of her Chelsea home. "I need a massive car - I have four dogs, and I want more," she says. "There's Hob Nob, Socky, Alvin and Buster. My sister [Petra] has four dogs too. They love it in the boot. I make it into a little playpen with toys and blankets and stuff."

Tamara's first car was a Golf, and this new-shape Vogue is her third Range Rover. "I get to be a chauffer to my friends because not all of them drive. A two-seater car would be so anti-social, you can only have one other person with you.

"There's something about Ferraris that I really love, the California in particular, and the Aston Martin DBS. But for me they're so impractical. When I park my Range Rover, I might nudge the person behind me or knock the car in front, or scrape my wheels. I'd be so worried about doing that in a Ferrari."

One of her Range Rovers ended up a wreck when she slid on ice and hit a parked car. "Fortunately no one was hurt, but it was still the scariest thing ever - I thought about jumping out of the car!"

It didn't put her off though. "I love driving. I'm not into collecting anything, apart from shoes and bags, but my dad has a big car collection. He's quite a scary driver. I'm an assertive driver. I think that's probably a result of growing up in London - you snooze you lose. But maybe it's the car family thing. Both my dad and I are control freaks - we don't like to let the other drive."

"A big car collection" is putting it mildly. Mr E has one of the world's finest collections of pre-1960s racing and luxury cars. Has Tamara ever helped herself to the keys? Seemingly, Bernie doesn't let anyone drive his cars but himself. "He said when I get married I could maybe use one of the cars, but I'm not planning on getting married anytime soon."

She's in a long-term relationship with her publicist, Rob Montague, who's helping her carve out a TV career. For the past two years, Tamara's been an F1 reporter for Sky Italia, but she's just quit. "I just don't really want to work in Formula One anymore. F1 was a safety net. I did quite enjoy it, but I've got a few lifestyle projects in the pipeline, and a few more modeling bits and endorsements and stuff."

Tamara's mum, Slavica, was an Armani model and was none too keen when her daughter attempted racing. "I did it for a Sky show called The Race, and I'd like to do more of it - but I don't think I want to be an F1 driver! My mum was so nervous, which made me nervous. All mums are like that I guess."

As for who will be F1 champion this year, Tamara has her favourite and not so favourite. "I'd really like to see Sebastian Vettel win, because he hasn't got his head up his own arse, unlike others mentioned previously."

Could the previous sentence elude to the time she tried to interview Jenson Button, who answered his phone mid interview? "I think he was really rude. And I also don't think he deserved to be world champion. There, I said it."


photo credit: Victoria Nightingale


TOP 3 WILDEST F1 DRIVER'S RIDES

WALTZ HARDCORE MOTORCYCLE    
Kimi Raikkonen has a brace of these over-the-top hogs: One's black and has Iceman written on the fuel tank, and the other's red and emblazoned with Ferrari logos. Now he's racing WRC will he exchange them for Citroen chevrons and snow tyres?

BUGATTI EB110 SUPERSPORT
When Schumacher made his first million, this is the car he splurged on. Nothing unusually wild about that, you might think. If anyone can handle a 320km/h supercar, it's Schumi. But Michael, with the same level of taste that caused him to wear cowboy outfits in public, chose to order it in banana yellow with blue leather seats. Good job he crashed it in 1994.

FERRARI GTO
Again, nothing unusual about an F1 star in a supercar, but it's the way they drive them. In 1987, Rene Arnoux drove his company car through a French town with a 90km/h speed limit. Did he stick to it? What do you think? He was busted doing 242km/h. Luckily he was mates with President Mitterand.


]]> Tunnel vision tag:www.metrof1.com,2010:/blogs/metrof1//4.442 2010-02-24T16:13:30Z 2010-02-24T16:15:59Z Check out this amazing Mercedes advert for the SLS Gullwing. It was shot last year, and I saw an earlier version, but it's now been updated to include Herr Schumacher at the wheel.It's certainly a damn sight better than his... Adam Hay-Nicholls
It's certainly a damn sight better than his 'because I'm worth it' ad.



]]> US F1 insider speaks out tag:www.metrof1.com,2010:/blogs/metrof1//4.441 2010-02-24T14:54:20Z 2010-02-24T15:11:58Z YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, who is US F1's main investorAutosport have run a story interviewing an anonymous USF1 insider, who claims the outfit is in "turmoil" and only Chad Hurley can save them."We feel Hurley and Parris Mullins [adviser to... Adam Hay-Nicholls
YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, who is US F1's main investor

Autosport have run a story interviewing an anonymous USF1 insider, who claims the outfit is in "turmoil" and only Chad Hurley can save them.

"We feel Hurley and Parris Mullins [adviser to Hurley] have our best interest [at heart] and also feel Hurley has no intention of abandoning us even though the media has said he's gone to Campos."

The source says it was clear they were behind schedule in early December.

"Figure [that] we're all pretty experienced in various aspects of car design and build, and we all know what it takes from a time-line standpoint. So when it became apparent the drawing office wasn't releasing drawings at the rate we expected, it started to become clear we could be in trouble.

"All engineering decisions were having to be funneled through [Ken] Anderson before anything could be signed off. And that's where the hold up was.

"Tooling for the tub was completed in early December, but then it sat for nearly a month before the laminate schedules for the outer skin were approved.

"Now Anderson himself wasn't designing the laminate schedule, but he was in the wings... as early as last October the production manager was collared about the lack of resources, but the managers were put off by saying: 'Well, Ken has a plan'.

"The irony of all this is that there has been precious little in the way of formal planning and documentation. No production schedules, simply very little in the way of planning."
He added: "Our January 15 pay cheque was late. It was paid by the 20th or so, but it certainly caused commotion and people started asking questions.

"That's when all the company's issues came to a head, and the conclusion was... yes, we had been lied to about the long-term budget, and indeed the company had a cash flow issue. But as mentioned, that really was a secondary issue.

"Think of it this way, ignoring the fact that we were lied to about the budget, if you don't have a car or can't show serious progress in that direction, potential sponsors aren't going to have a tendency to give you money.

"At the moment there are still 60 people working in Charlotte, but 10 have already left."

It appears team co-founder and sporting director Peter Windsor, whose main task in recent months has been seeking sponsorship, only came to realize a month ago how dire the situation was.

"I do know that Windsor was told of our progress on a number of occasions off the record in informal settings, but it took a very contentious shop meeting in late January/early February for him to twig [that] indeed we had an issue.

"In a meeting between the employees, Windsor and Anderson, Windsor put the question up to the employees: 'Who here doesn't think we'll make Bahrain?' I think Windsor might have meant it somewhat rhetorically, but he was answered nonetheless, and 100 per cent of the staff raised their hands. He was visibly shocked."

When contacted by Autosport about the claims from the senior staff member, team principal Anderson declined to respond to the specifics - but did suggest the comments painted a biased picture of the situation at the team.

"The story that the employee tells is certainly twisted and one-sided," said Anderson. "There are also contradictions. Everybody that signed up here knew exactly what they were getting into, i.e. to have two cars on the track in Bahrain.

"Given the late start due to the FIA/FOTA situation of 2009, I asked everybody to keep the car simple, strong and reliable. The comment that the chassis moulds sat for a month while waiting for a lay-up schedule is exactly the sort of thing that hurt us. Way too complex and time consuming. I did question why it was so complex if it was not necessary.

"I don't want to retaliate point by point as they are entitled to their opinion."
Windsor himself said he would continue to work hard to help keep US F1 alive.

"I have given this project - and will continue to give - all the love and passion I have ever had for our sport," he said. "Some obstacles I won't be able to overcome but I'm not giving up."


]]> Ferrari have a good old rant tag:www.metrof1.com,2010:/blogs/metrof1//4.440 2010-02-24T14:27:11Z 2010-02-24T15:13:35Z We've seen a few posts on Ferrari's official website which seem, shall we say, unedited. I can guess who's writing them... They're bloshy, inelegant an unguarded. Which is quite refreshing in this uber-corporate paddock. The attempts at poetic language do... Adam Hay-Nicholls
The attempts at poetic language do leave me reaching for the rat poison though.

Something tells me the FIA will be none too pleased with this latest post, which goes under the headline 'The Horse Whisperer - For whom the bell tolls'.

The commentator has a dig at the disarray of some of the new teams, which is firmly blamed on Max Mosley's decision to push the manufacturers out and welcome new constructors.

And Stefan GP doesn't escape the bile, lest we forget Mike Coughlan - he of Pronto Print fame - is now working for the Serbians.

"Firstly, they launched themselves into a quixotic legal battle with the FIA, then they picked the bones of Toyota on its death bed," writes 'The Horse Whisperer'. "Having got some people on board, around whom there was still a whiff of past scandals, they are now hovering around waiting to replace whoever is first to drop out of the game."

It goes on: "This is the legacy of the holy war waged by the former FIA president. The cause in question was to allow smaller teams to get into Formula 1. This is the outcome: two teams will limp into the start of the championship, a third it being pushed into the ring by an invisible hand - you can be sure it's not the hand of Adam Smith - and, as for the fourth, well, you would do better to call on Missing Persons to locate it. In the meantime, we have lost two constructors along the way, in the shape of BMW and Toyota, while at Renault, there's not much left other than the name. Was it all worth it?"

Adam Smith was, by the way, a Scottish moral philosopher and a pioneer of political economics. Talk about obscure.


Read the full rant here.
]]> My favourite race: Rene Arnoux tag:www.metrof1.com,2010:/blogs/metrof1//4.439 2010-02-19T17:39:45Z 2010-02-19T17:44:25Z Adam Hay-Nicholls
Hope you enjoy it: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/5827.html
]]> Time running out for new teams tag:www.metrof1.com,2010:/blogs/metrof1//4.438 2010-02-18T22:00:46Z 2010-02-19T17:36:14Z Lotus and Virgin have been hard at work in Jerez this week, but still we have no word from USF1 and Campos. No sign of a car at all. No sign of second drivers getting signed either. Things are not... Adam Hay-Nicholls
Campos Meta shareholder Jose Ramon Carabante is said to be on the verge of a full takeover. He has engaged Colin Kolles to run the team, and is talking to Karun Chandhok and Bertrand Baguette (to be said in a thick Belgian-French accent) about driving alongside Bruno Senna.

It is uncertain if they will make the first race or not.

USF1 have been very quiet. It's said Chad Hurley (the founder of YouTube) has pulled out, because there's no sign of a car. The team is struggling to pay its staff. It had said it would make its track debut in Alabama in early February, at Barber Motorsport Park. It's the 18th today, and there's no sign of a car at all.

Meanwhile, Stefan Grand Prix have signed Kazuki Nakajima despite not having an entry. they are also in contract talks with my favourite Canadian folk hero, Jacques Villeneuve.
]]> Has Virgin's CFD gamble failed? tag:www.metrof1.com,2010:/blogs/metrof1//4.437 2010-02-15T05:58:03Z 2010-02-15T05:58:23Z Virgin's 'virtual' car could revolutionize the way F1 cars are designed - by negating the need for expensive wind tunnel testing. However, the team has suffered some design issues on track. The front wing failed on Timo's car. Adrian Newey... Adam Hay-Nicholls
Adrian Newey has questioned whether Computation Fluid Dynamics alone is enough to build a competitive car. He believes wind tunnels are still vital to car design.

At the Lotus launch yesterday, Mike Gascoyne - like Newey, one of F1's premier aero men and a guy with a PHD in CFD - joined his Red Bull colleague in questioning the wisdom of a 100 percent CFD car.

Speaking to us at London's Royal Horticultural Hall, Mike said that the CFD tactic is "an integral part, but not a complete part. You look at BMW when Albert II was announced as one of the world's biggest supercomputers dedicated to just their CFD. If you look at Enstone... I don't think these guys are idiots, and they also have wind tunnels.

"I think CFD is a very exciting technology and it is advancing, but is it an absolute? I don't think there are many people who think it is."

]]> Lotus Notes tag:www.metrof1.com,2010:/blogs/metrof1//4.436 2010-02-15T05:55:28Z 2010-02-15T05:57:50Z A pic taken from my iPhone of Heikki and his new carFormula One is going retro: Joining Ferrari's red cars on the grid this season will be a silver Mercedes-Benz (last seen in 1955), a yellow Renault (last seen in... Adam Hay-Nicholls
A pic taken from my iPhone of Heikki and his new car

Formula One is going retro: Joining Ferrari's red cars on the grid this season will be a silver Mercedes-Benz (last seen in 1955), a yellow Renault (last seen in 1985) and, to the delight of British fans, a green car with a yellow bonnet stripe.

Team Lotus won 79 grands prix between 1961 and 1987, then ran out of money and flat-lined in 1994. Sixteen-years later, some Malaysians have arrived with a £55 million defibrillator and brought Lotus's F1 dreams back to life.

On Friday, at London's Royal Horticultural Hall, the covers were pulled off the Cosworth-powered T127; the first car to wear this iconic paint job since Jim Clark won the 1967 Mexican Grand Prix.

There are some cynics. Technically, this isn't the Lotus that Colin Chapman founded. Tony Fernandes, the Malaysian-born, UK-educated entrepreneur behind Air Asia, wanted his own F1 team and saw the Lotus brand as an evocative marketing tool. Group Lotus - manufacturers of lightweight sports cars - is owned by Malaysia's Proton. A deal was struck.

But the car is the work of a Brit: Mike Gascoyne (known as 'The Rottweiler', due to his no-nonsense management style) has penned cars for six F1 teams, previously. His stints at Jordan and Renault were particularly successful.

"I'm fed up of all the bulls**t," 'Gazza' told me over dinner at a Sao Paulo sushi restaurant, in late 2008. This was on the eve of his sacking from the Force India team, having had a bust-up with his team principal. "I want to sail around the globe, but I'm not quite ready to retire. I would kill to work for a proper racing team. Give it a few more years, help take them forward. I'll only stick around for a proper team."

He underlined "proper". I suggested he call Sir Frank Williams immediately. He agreed he would love to return Williams to their winning ways, and work with "a really British team - real racers". Evidently, nothing came of it. Then, at the Singapore Grand Prix last year, Mike showed up wearing a Lotus shirt, grinning.

He relishes sitting behind the desk of lofty genius Chapman - even though Mike's desk is from IKEA, and it's located a few miles from the base Chapman built in Hethel (and, coincidently, from where Gascoyne grew up). This outfit is new, let's not pretend, but the launch event did a good job of summoning the spirits.

Chapman and Lotus's most successful driver, Clark, are long gone. But there were several former racers there, including Nigel Mansell and Sir Stirling Moss. Chapman's family, too, were in attendance. And the entire workforce was present - over a hundred of them. Lotus F1 Racing had a staff of just four at its Hingham factory in September. Mike's girlfriend, Silvi, was put on reception and tasked to look after PR and marketing. She was the fifth member.

It is quite stunning that, five months later, they had a car to launch. And it looks promising.

As the project grew momentum, staff were signed up quickly - including drivers Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen. Both bring a wealth of talent and experience. Neither are 'pay drivers' (unlike some of those taken on this year by several established teams), which adds credibility. They had other offers, but have chosen to put their faith in this new team and its diminutive, tattooed Chief Technical Officer. Trulli, now in his 14th season of F1, has worked with Gascoyne at four different teams.

The team is downplaying its chances and says it just wants to finish races next year, then become a reliable points scorer in the next two-three seasons. But the question is, if they win, will it be their first or their 80th victory?

"Clive Chapman [Colin's son] asked Tony Fernandes [that] when he first spoke to him," says Gascoyne. "And Tony was very clear - it will be Lotus's 80th win."

]]>