Jackie Stewart gave a scathing criticism of Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley

Sir Jackie Stewart’s interview in yesterday’s Times, spread across the inside back pages, is a must-read.

Stewart’s criticism of Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley’s governance of Formula 1 is as rational as it is critical. His message is simple - they have stayed too long, they must be replaced - and it’s entirely persuasive.

But what role could Sir Jackie play in replacing Ecclestone and Mosley? more…

F1 Fanatic has been nominated for the “Best Sports Blog award in the 2008 Weblog Awards. (Yes, I know it’s 2009 - they do the 2008 awards in 2009!)

Voting starts today and runs until Tuesday 13th January. You can vote once in each cateogry in every 24 hour period so if you want to you can vote each day until the awards close! To cast your vote now go here:

Vote for F1 Fanatic in the 2008 Weblog Awards

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F1 remains stuck in the past with no HD service yet again in 2009

F1 will not be broadcast in high definition on the BBC in 2009.

Director of BBC Sport Robert Mosey said “we’d very much like it to be” but HD F1 broadcasts are not available yet.

He also suggested practice sessions will only be available online and ‘via the red button’, and said the BBC is looking into broadcasting GP2 as well. more…

Bernie Ecclestone: business brain, team boss... racing driver?

A thread on the Autosport forum about Bernie Ecclestone’s brief racing career caught my eye.

Ecclestone dabbled in motorbike racing and Formula Three in the early 1950s. But his only entry in the F1 record books is for the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix - which he failed to qualify for. What’s the story behind the F1 commercial boss’s only appearance in the sport as a racing driver? more…

Robert Kubica during last year's Hungarian Grand Prix

This year I’m planning to visit the Hungaroring to see the Hungarian Grand Prix for the first time.

Have you made any plans to go to an F1 race in 2009? more…

World Series by Renault cars tackle the Craner Curves at Donington Park

Donington Park’s plans to run the British Grand Prix from 2010 have won the support of South Derbyshire District Council.

Director of community services Mark Alflat told the Derby Evening Telegraph he is recommending the scheme gets planning approval when it goes before Leicestershire District Council on Thursday:

The development offers substantial economic opportunities. The Grand Prix has the potential to attract both visitor spend and inward investment. New facilities, along with associated developments, will create substantial construction employment opportunities. This would bring new investment and highly-skilled employment opportunities to the area.

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F1 Teams will be scaling back their extravagant launches in 2009

January and February are the fallow months for F1 fans as we wait for the new season to begin.

But with cars to be launched, testing to be done and other events and racing going on, the pre-season weeks needn’t be boring. Here’s a guide to what’s happening between now at the first race of 2009. more…

Fernando Alonso in Ferrari overalls in 2011? (Image by Vittorio Alfieri)

Rumours about Fernando Alonso joining Ferrari kept surfacing last year but seemed to have been killed off when the Scuderia revealed it had extended Kimi Raikkonen’s contract.

So what do we make of the fresh rumours of Alonso joining the team in 2011? Here’s why I think they make a lot of sense. more…

F1 Fanatic traffic in 2008 (click to enlarge)

It was a record-breaking year for F1 Fanatic with more visitors, comments and articles than ever before. more…

In at number five: Ugly-as-sin 2009 style BMWs

Max Mosley videos, ugly 2009 F1 cars, the first ever F1 night race… none of these were the subject of the most-read article on F1 Fanatic in 2008.

So what was it? Read on to find out. more…