You're in good hands with Jean Todt

One of the decisions out of the latest FIA World Motor Sport Council  was to extend a 2 point bonus to Super License holders (which now required for Formula E and V8 Supercar) if the drivers complete a season without any point penalty.

With apologies to Dennis Haysbert,




Other decisions include the exploration of FIA sanctioned Formula Drift Events, easier Historic Car technical certifications,  Safer Formula 3 and faster LMP1 private team, non hybrid cars.

Details available here

Little Big Man

Nobody is surprised by Todt's election right? We hope Todt will return the FIA presidency to a position of anonymity and keep it out of the news but for all of those who wonder how he could have crushed Ari Vatanen hopes for reform so completely let me point out that while Vatanen had the support of drivers, teams and 99% of the public (ok, that's unscientific but I know I'm right...) not one of those groups gets to vote.

Who voted? Take a look at this list compiled by a pitpass.com reader. Now no offense intended but in many of the countries represented there are barely roads, what precisely do Rwanda and Mongolia contribute to motorsport? Iraq? IRAQ??
I tell you what the esteemed representatives of these automobile clubs understand very well: on their shopping trip to Paris it's much more glamorous to hang out with Michelle Yeoh and Michael Schumacher than voting to rock the boat.




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Does Ari Vatanen have the stones to lead the FIA?

You tell me after watching this clip.



Of course there is one job where you have to be even crazier braver and that is navigator...



Speaking of Jean Todt, I had to chuckle at today's "endorsment" by Max Mosley"

"Jean will do a much better job than me in many, many ways," said Mosley, who has publicly endorsed Todt's bid to become president. "And in some ways he will upset the F1 teams less because he probably won't come up with the next big idea."





More Rally on Axis

Plus ca change plus c'est le meme chose...

That what the French say and with Max Mosley's exit and the seemingly inevitable election of Jean Todt in his place, at the FIA too the more things change the more they stay the same.

Axis is bored with F1 politics, in fact, borderline bored with F1 in general after the events of this season. Just a short comment: while certainly Todt is a professional with vast experience he is also Mosley's man which means he would keep Mosley's infrastructure within the FIA. His association with Ferrari will assure that any future decision by the FIA will be seen, with or without merit, as pro Maranello.

Formula 1 had a chance for a fresh start, for new thinking and they threw it away. Old men and old ideas are firmly in charge.







And here is the rest of it.

F1 Re-Evolution, Alonso joining Honda a possibility?

As you heard by now Ross Brawn is joining Honda in 2008 and Jean Todt steps (or is stepped) down from the Ferrari Gestione Sportiva handing the keys to Stefano Domenicali. Todt will continue as Ferrari CEO.
Its not surprising Todt stepped down, I was always under the impression he stayed this year only to provide some continuity to a team that had just lost both Michael Schumacher and Ross Brawn. Holding down the Ferrari F1 and the Ferrari SpA jobs cannot have been easy. It could also be that Monsieur Todt just has had enough, he certainly has been in motorsports a long time and with incredible success.

The whole Alonso musical chairs business becomes more interesting now as Todt was always the most outspoken critic of a possible Ferrari-Alonso future. Is this why Alonso has been holding out? can we imagine an Alonso- Raikkonen pairing as soon as next season? I doubt it.



And what a present for the beleaguered Jenson Button! After getting battered by the Hamilton effect and having stoically suffered a horrid car in 07 this must feel like early Christmas...




But the bombshell could be another, voices of a Brawn-Alonso package have been around for a while as have voices of an imminent retirement for Rubens Barrichello and of course there is the prospect of Renault getting a Mclaren sized fine... Maybe Honda, who is sponsorless at the moment, will be the the recepient of the giant sponsor package behind Fernando? We all remember what happened last time Ross Brawn joined a two time world champion at a beleaguered team.

Alonso in, Todt out in 2008 at Ferrari

So the latest and greatest Formula 1 silly season rumor goes like this: according to El Periodico de Catalunya, Fernando Alonso is headed for Ferrari.

Wait you say, didn't Jean Todt say that Alonso will never drive a red car, at least as long as he's there?

Right, well the now rabidly anti Mclaren Spanish press has thought of everything: in 2008 Luca di Montezemolo would fire Todt to hire Alonso along with the whole heavyweight Spanish sponsorship (Banca Santander, Telefonica, Repsol etc.).

Always according to El Periodico, Todt's job would go to the returning Ross Brawn along with good old Schumacher, at the moment apparently not satisfied with his role within the Scuderia.

The Spanish daily concludes by offering that this "plan" would solve three problems now affecting the team: Todt's obsessions (not wanting Alonso on the team and presumably wearing sweaters in 100 degree heat). The position of Todt's son, NIcholas who is Massa's manager but also in charge of driver development, and Massa's inability to win the championship.

What do you want...it's august and there are two more week ends of dead air to fill!

Home On the Range

© The Cahier Archive.





If you watched the podium ceremony after the eventful European GP, you saw Michael Schumacher reluctantly, it seemed, hand the constructor's cup to Ron Dennis.
Schumi had spent the whole of the race behind Jean Todt rigorously dressed in Ferrari team red, but for the Prize ceremony he had to appear more "de-badged". Apparently Schumi has a german cowboy thing going these days and UK's ITV picked up on it and produced this little clip to honor his fashion sense. Speaking of looks...someone should REALLY speak to Ron Dennis about the McLaren uniforms...last year is was pretty bad, this year with those pleated shoulder pads they look downright silly!