When it was announced that the Uber Champion F1 driver would stay with Ferrari as Jean Todt’s underling, was there any doubt that this would be a temporary role? For a while it began to look like Mikey would in fact replace the little Frenchman at the top of the Ferrari F1 ladder.

Given the return on money involved in owning an F1 team, is it any wonder that Herr Schumacher might be looking for something grander than managing someone else’s team? Even if it is Ferrari, it will always belong to someone else. For that reason, today’s rumour makes sense.
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It seems that this week is release week for F1 team marketing efforts. First there was the Ferrari video and now we have the Red Bull movie. This wonderful short film features the Red Bull and Toro Rosso team mates, along with a cast of thousands (well, maybe hundreds) in this medieval themed extravaganza. Unfortunately the producers seem to have gotten the sound effects wrong. Now don’t get me wrong, the sound is stunning, they’ve just placed the emphasis in the wrong place. In the Ferrari video, the sweet sounds of combustion make the scenes work. In the Red Bull movie, the ambient sounds are movie quality, but they’ve almost downplayed the sound of the actual cars. It’s a small criticism, but I think they could have edited more soul into the driving scenes.

Enough petty bitching. On to the video after the break.
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Yesterday’s tripe from the Vatican:

“The Paris-Dakar, a race which many classify as a sporting event, in reality has very little to do with healthy competition,”

“The trail of blood which grows longer from year to year on the route of the race instead underscores the undeniable component of violence that lies behind every attempt to export Western models to human environments and ecosystems that have little to do with the West,”

These statements were in response to the death of bike racer Elmer Symons during the Dakar rally. An annual event that tests the strength, courage, endurance and even the mortality of every entrant. Every competitor is well aware of the merciless history Dakar has and they choose to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

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In mid May next year, Donington Park will come alive with the sights and sounds of the history of Formula 1. The GPLive event promises to bring guests the ultimate 3 day weekend of F1 cars and drivers.

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2006 GP2 Champion Lewis Hamilton has landed the number two seat for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team, alongside World Champion Fernando Alonso. Starting his career at age 9 in karts, Hamilton has been groomed for F1 by McLaren since way back in 1998. That gives the 21 year old a whopping 12 years of racing experience, with the last 9 years supported by McLaren and Mercedes. Talk about killer backing! The best equipment and driver’s coaches money can buy. Little wonder the kid shines! That said, you’ve got to wish him luck and hope he doesn’t get overshadowed by his team mate.

Press release after the break
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Sometimes corporations surprise me. Often, a lot of the stuff that sponsors supply to race fans can be pretty lame. This time though, the folks from Shell have hit the nail on  the head. Shell Motorsports is offering a booklet called How An F1 Car Works. When I ordered it, I half expected a lame pamphlet with a few pictures and some childish writing. What arrived in the mail this week was a slick little magazine, with tons of informative info and some great pictures. This one will please the adults and the kids.

Be sure to visit Shell Motorsports and order yours asap, before they run out. This one’s a keeper.

Keith over at Formula 1 Fanatic has posted a multi part series of the top 100 Formula 1 videos. I just lit up my office with the sounds of a 1979 Renault, driven at Montreal by Rene Arnoux. That was back when the F1 jockey’s were real drivers. The car sounds angry and the shifts deliberate, none of this autoshift nonsense we have today!

Other highlights include Senna punching Irvine, Emerson’s first F1 win at Watkin’s Glen in 1970 and the beginning of the Senna/Prost war.

They are only up to number 71 so far, so it will be interesting to see where some of the all time faves end up. My bet is on the Villeneuve vs Arnoux battle to be #1.