F1RWRS -- 2014 Season

[dr-baker]

I once fell asleep during a race, is that as good?

Was it at Valencia by any chance?

[TomWazzleshaw]

Glad you won't be too busy doing gigs and eating noodles this weekend

Oh man, if only the FIA president was as cool as that. Seriously, who red flags a race for 10 minutes so the race director can get popcorn and a coke?

I once fell asleep during a race, is that as good?

It was Bahrain from memory so it doesn't count

[the Masked Lapwing]

I once fell asleep during a race, is that as good?

Was it at Valencia by any chance?

No, the only F1RWRS Bahrain GP. All I remember is that... err... someone won.

[TomWazzleshaw]

I once fell asleep during a race, is that as good?

Was it at Valencia by any chance?

No, the only F1RWRS Bahrain GP. All I remember is that... err... someone won.

For the record it was David Koczo, from pole position. Some muppet by the name of D. Melrose walked home with fastest lap as well

[tommykl]

I once fell asleep during a race, is that as good?

Was it at Valencia by any chance?

No, the only F1RWRS Bahrain GP. All I remember is that... err... someone won.

And I had to write the race report for the wiki completely from scratch

[DemocalypseNow]

For the record it was David Koczo, from pole position.

Woohoo! One of my drivers won something once!

Scuderia Alitalia gained 1% CREDIBILITY! Level Up!

[the Masked Lapwing]

For the record it was David Koczo, from pole position.

Woohoo! One of my drivers won something once!

Scuderia Alitalia gained 1% CREDIBILITY! Level Up!

Congratulations, you hired a guy who won a race in the best car on the grid and got destroyed by a teammate who has just been sacked by MRT for being crap

[AndreaModa]

Well, well, well! This is interesting!

Jones swoops for Vantini as Melrose heads for the exit

Sammy Jones was in an indifferent mood today after news leaked that Daniel Melrose will walk away from Castrol Jones Racing at the end of the year. The two have had a heated exchange over the past two weeks after it emerged the Australian intended to establish his own consultancy firm for budding new F1RWRS teams, with Jones unhappy at the prospect of sensitive information from his team potentially being handed to rivals. With Melrose seemingly unrelenting in his desire to establish the business, he will leave Jones' team following the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend, which will be the last time the two will drive for the same team. Jones had this to say about Melrose's decision,

"I respect his decision. I had to push him for an answer because I wasn't going to be messed around through the off-season, and he's made it clear he's very keen on running his consultancy firm. I can't understand why he couldn't back down on it to preserve his drive with us, I think 2015 will be a promising year and it would have been great for him to finally get the chance in the F1RWRS that he deserves. Still, that's the way with a lot of us in the paddock, we all have our own agendas and we like to stick to them. I'm quite sad that we won't have Daniel's technical support and experience in the team next year, but we also now have a great opportunity to bring Rosco into the sport. Of the F2RWRS drivers coming in, I have to say I think he will be the best-placed of all of them."

Asked about what Melrose's next step should be, Jones made himself clear,

"He should just pack it all in, the driving duties I mean. There are no top seats left on the grid now, there's no point going back to ArrowTech because it looks like they're looking for funding, and the rest of the slots available are all with teams that will most likely have to fight through pre-qualifying. If I were him, I'd just call it a day and concentrate on the team management. He has an excellent opportunity with MRT to build on what's been their best year by far this season, and even though they're having to ditch the turbos, I still think they could be a threat, especially with Nicolas. He's really come of age this year."

For Castrol Jones Racing, their line-up is secure, as Jones confirmed, Rosco Vantini will drive alongside himself for 2015,

"Yeah we're bringing Rosco in, that's probably the worst kept secret in the paddock ins't it? He's a rookie with a bright future, some rough edges that we'll look to help smooth out and hopefully give him the opportunity to show everyone what he can do at the highest level. It's been a while since Italy have had a genuine talent in the series, so we're delighted to give them something to cheer about. I think Vantini and Mestolio will be the two golden boys for Italy in the next few years."

So, just in case anyone hasn't cottoned on to it by now, CJR's 2015 season line-up will be Sammy Jones and Rosco Vantini, who is signed to the team on a one year deal, with an additional year's extension into 2016 as an option to be agreed on at the conclusion of 2015.

[the Masked Lapwing]

As the representative of the Holden works team, I would like to say that, as the works Ford team, every decision Jones Racing makes is the wrong one. Of course, he should not have waited for Melrose walk - he should have sacked him immediately

[Aerospeed]

AL FAISAL TO ARROWTECH???
There are now reports that ArrowTech has signed Saeed Al Faisal to a one-year deal with an option for a second year depending on performance. This comes in light of Vantini being signed for Jones Racing. The Fox, Al Faisal, and his agent were not available for comment.

[Klon]

Well, one has to try to profit from this issue.

Tropico With Offer To Melrose

On the press conference for the Japanese F1RWRS Grand Prix, El Presidente confirmed that they have prepared an offer to Daniel Melrose for the case of him be sacked. Now that this has happened, Melrose will most likely have that offer on the table. This comes as a logical consequence from Rosco Vantini, who was rumored to sign with Tropico Grand Prix powered by CR Motorsport, joining Castrol Jones Racing.

Mr. Melrose was not available for comment yet, although he is known to occasionally spend a week or two on the Caribbean island.

5 bucks says Melrose leaves Jones by the end of the season

I call that bet.

Ahem...

Here, have your five bucks.

[DemocalypseNow]

Lindsay: Most talented Italians in F1RWRS? Let's wait and see

Scuderia Altialia team principal Alasdair Lindsay has retorted to comments made by Sammy Jones, who suggested Fredo Mestolio and Rosco Vantini would be the best Italian drivers in the sport for years to come.

"We all know [Jones'] quote contained some deliberate omissions," said Lindsay. "It may be a couple of seasons yet, but I expect we will see some massively talented young Italian drivers progressing to F1RWRS through the Scuderia Alitalia Giovanile Squadra. We have Gigi Pazzini, Lorenzo Crescenzi and Alessandro Lucarelli all looking like having great futures in motor racing. These guys are still young, and maybe apart from Lucarelli are a bit inexperienced. But, Gigi has shown an incredible level of natural talent considering this, it's why he made the step up to F2RWRS so quickly. He is definitely a big talent coming from Italy right now."

"But of course, we cannot forget Alessandro and Lorenzo. Ale has some good experience behind him already, so maybe he could be quite an old debutant in F1RWRS, but that extra experience would likely help him a lot. And Lorenzo, he showed great promise at Christopherson Racing last season, I expect him to have a great full debut season with us in F3RWRS."

"And of course, there is Andrea Battani, who will drive for ARC in F1RWRS next year. He was great in Rejects of LFS, an incredible season. He's very young still, but it will be interesting to see how he does. And of course, let us not forget Alessandro Marchesi, he had a good campaign for Aston Martin in F2RWRS last season, I expect him to be battling us for the title there in 2015. Overall, I think you can see the talent pool in Italy is much larger than Jones tries to persuade us, there is much more than just Vantini and Mestolio coming through the ranks to F1RWRS. What we can say for sure is, this country has a bright future in the sport. Hopefully Scuderia Alitalia can deliver some of those too."

[Londoner]

I must say it is an honour to drive for this fledgling new team in anger next season. My stint with SOTL completely drained me, as I just knew that'd we always be going home on a Friday afternoon. SOTL almost killed my career, and I decided to take a year out of the series in order to recharge and rediscover the thrills of being a driver. I can safely say that I've done it, and I look forward to driving alongside Dean next season and making a mark in the F1RWRS. I will now take some of your questions, and attempt to answer them to the worst of my ability.

[FMecha]

#DanielMelroseForSunshine

[TomWazzleshaw]

For the record it was David Koczo, from pole position.

Woohoo! One of my drivers won something once!

Scuderia Alitalia gained 1% CREDIBILITY! Level Up!

Oh and he won the race before that in Adelaide as well. Then he finished equal third in the championship the next year. And since I'm starting to gather you didn't know all that, I'm telling you now that you've fluked your way into signing one of the best drivers on the grid.*

*We'll ignore the two Calinetic years because the team was going down faster than a rock anyway

[DemocalypseNow]

For the record it was David Koczo, from pole position.

Woohoo! One of my drivers won something once!

Scuderia Alitalia gained 1% CREDIBILITY! Level Up!

Oh and he won the race before that in Adelaide as well. Then he finished equal third in the championship the next year. And since I'm starting to gather you didn't know all that, I'm telling you now that you've fluked your way into signing one of the best drivers on the grid.*

*We'll ignore the two Calinetic years because the team was going down faster than a rock anyway

You gathered wrong. Of course I knew what I was doing. I signed him knowing he would be the biggest asset in the entire team. I couldn't believe a driver of such calibre didn't even have a drive, I snapped him up as soon I saw he was a free agent. I was just making a joke about how shite my team is at the moment.

[AdrianSutil]

Mitie/Kingfisher: Technical partnership, Daniel Melrose and Italian drivers...

It seems not a day can go by without someone or something stirring the RWRS pot, either settling arguments or starting them. But Mr.Alexander is intrigued with several things on the eve of the final race of 2015. "This consultancy firm that Daniel Melrose wants to set up looks interesting. Now I'm not suggesting the idea should be put into mainstream effect straightaway, but it seems to be a good move in helping out a team who may need it. I understand the Autodynamics team which will debut next year have already entered in a technical partnership, and it may turn out to be a good thing for them. Also, depending on our own situation, I may contact them and ask to have a look at our team, and see if much can be improved. But, only if we think we have taken the engine and chassis as far as we can."

"As for Daniel Melrose, seeing him out of a drive for next year is criminal. He's one of the best drivers around and he deserves a Championsip winning car. I'd love to have him with us but sadly, I couldn't see him dropping down to our level!"

"Also, the argument about Italian drivers being, or soon to be, the best crop around is hilarious. I'd never want a driver who spends most of their time either moaning or crashing, because that's all they do. I had an Italian driver, a well-known Italian driver in fact, approach me privately several weeks ago about a drive but immediately told him where to go. I don't need that type of attitude and petulance in my team."

"The car for next year is well on the way, and we continue to pick up new sponsorship too. The livery is something we are struggling over, as many of us have different ideas on where to go with it. But the finished product will look nice."

"All-in-all, it's been a challenging year, but one where we can look back on and know we did our best. We started two races with David and he finished one, at Pau of all places. I'm confident we can qualify for about 6 or 7 races next season, anything less will be seen as a backwards step."

[Aerospeed]

Al Faisal signed to ArrowTech: Report
The Fox has said in an interview that he has every intention to sign Saudi Arabian Saeed Al Faisal for 2015. He says about Saeed, "I think he'll be a wonderful driver for ArrowTech. He has shown that he has the ability to drive into consistent results. I have talked to his agent and I fully believe his performances with Mecha were masked by bad machinery. I think Saeed has a great potential to become a World Champion." When asked on how well the team might do this season, he said, "It will all have to depend on the car. We will definitely change the chassis maker and we are considering changing the engine supplier as well. Brabham isn't doing a good job, and we need a more powerful engine. We shall see."

[FMecha]

Wizzie, after I checked the provisional entry list, there are seats in Foxdale and Sunshine, as well as ARC (I don't count pre-qualiying teams like Tropico or Dofasco). Those are Melrose's options.

I want Melrose to Sunshine - Shinobu Katayama and Daniel Melrose as team-mates FTW.

[MinardiFan95]

Simpson to make way for Melrose?
A rumour making the rounds in Australian newspapers suggests that Daniel Melrose could be driving alongside his protege Mitchell Macklin at Simpson Motorsport's new F1RWRS team, leaving former team owner David Simpson to concentrate on team ownership. Melrose was unavailable for comment, however Simpson was quick to deny these rumours.

*I would really like to see Melrose in the car for a one-off in Adelaide, however as Macklin's penalty is not yet known in the F1RWRS world, nothing about his replacement will be announced until the end of the Indy 800.

[SuperAguri]

Rosco Vantini delighted
After signing his 2015 contract with Castrol Jones Racing, Rosco Vantini made a statement "I am very 'appy to have signed with Castrol 'Ones Racing, it is a dream come true to sign for a respected and competive team. Mr Sammy Jones is a very nice team owner and I look forward to pre season testing , how do you say, I shall go for glory, His manager, Prince Falik added "Yes, yes, yes, we are delighted with the contract, although he was close to signing for Tropico as they offered the most money and gave in to each of our demands, we felt a competive team was the best way forward. I am very happy as the signing will make me rich... er in well being and happiness, yes, yes, yes, happiness. No more questions from the cheap seats, further interviews will be held in Solo per Due Resturant.". Further news once the editor gets permission for us to use the company credit card.

Prince Saeed Al Faisal vey happy.
After finally hammering out a deal with ArrowTech Acuri that will see the prince bring $20m in sponsorship, the prince gave a statement "I am most pleased that I have signed a deal with the ArrowTech Acuri team to drive for them, it is a honour and a privledge to work for The Fox and Prince Falik, two of the friendliest and nicest peopel you could ever wish to meet. I am happy that I am back in F1RWRS racing for a competive team that can surely win races. Although FAT Turbo racing was a wonderful team, where we had fun and we celebrated Dave McFastes 6th place like he had won the championship but I have no time for Barii Mori who booted me from the team once he was in control. Sunshine Infiniti was a great team to be, although I was only there for three races but I scored 3 points, so I am not a reject. Although joy at the Chinese GP turned into sadnesss when I did find out what had happened to Dave McFaste.", at this point the prince closed his eyes and bowed his head for a minute not saying a word before he continued, "I was dropped by Sunshine and had to look for a seat for 2014, however all I could find was a seat with the new Mecha team, we settled on a deal, but I sort of wish I did not bother as the car was too understeery so it did not suit my style, the team also forgot that there are two drivers in a team as James Davies got most of the upgrades. I voiced my concerns to the team, who rewarded me by firing me saying I was too slow. Mecha Grand Prix have no honour, the mangy dogs. So this is why I am happy to find a good seat and I hope I can score many, many points. I thank you.

Sunshine in trouble as police want to talk to Joao Lagos?
A Sunshine insider has told us that Joao Lagos has gone missing and that police in Portugal and Spain are keen to talk to him. He hinted that DPT Asset Management are effectively bankrupt and the team might not find the funds to compete for 2015. We tried to contact Sunshine management so they could confirm or deny this story but no senior member of staff could be found in the building and even at the Japanese GP the race manager and head engineers have no idea where the principal or senior management are. If true, Sunshine may be ejected from F1RWRS for bringing the sport into disrepute and could be replaced with a new team, which could see Shinobu Katayama out of a drive. More news as it comes in.

Melrose running out of options.
With Simpson motorsport ruling out Melrose, Sunshine having problems and Melrose himself saying that MRT is not an option. Melrose is having a hard time finding a drive for 2015. Realistically ARC are his best bet, although a number of teams in pre qualifying would love to benefit from Daniel Melroses experience to help them qualify. Our money however is for him to retire again.

Zakspeed test new H8 engine.
Zakspeed tested their new H8 engine behind closed doors in Jerez, we ar told that Zakspeed are pleased with the results and feel the new engine could challenge the V8s currently used in F1. However a spy tells use that the H8 engine is very wide but has a very low centre of gravity so a chassis would need modification to fit it in.

[RonDenisDeletraz]

Red Bull Autodynamics GP has announced that they hope to pass pre-qualifying as much as possible in 2015.

[FMecha]

Hmm...

Mecha sues former driver, Japanese Autosport for libel
Adriansyah: This is war!
Mecha Grand Prix has officially filed a libel lawsuit against Mecha's former driver, Saeed Al Faisal, as well as Japanese Autosport, who published his comment, earlier today. "His statements, which called our team 'has no honour' and 'mangy dogs' are simply disgraceful. There are no favoritism in our team; it is just our patience running out with he being largely uncompetitive in pre-qualifying, and the fact he told his story to the Saudi Arabian press, the reasons why we fired him" said Mecha's manager, Mahmud Effendi. Co-manager and head engineer Chandra Adriansyah furthermore added "This is disgusting and affects our team's reputation; this is now a war [against Al Faisal]". The libel case is continuing.

Sunshine to be off-loaded to a Belgian constorium?
DPT Asset Management employee: Bankruptcy? Jossed!
With Joao Lagos apparently going MIA, that puts the future of Sunshine F1RWRS Team into risk. However, our insider has suggested that a Belgian constorium under the name of RonDen Racing Engineering, run by Dennis Mignolet (which has brother named Ron, currently racing for Acuri and will drive for DGNinnering - or whatever how you spell it, ED - for next year. RonDen currrently operates a team in F3RWRS, which started under backing of software company Lotus Development - part of IBM - only for the the company to default on it's payments, resulting in the lengthy abberivation as the team announces partnership with Il Barone Rampante. No confirmation or interest can said from them, however. Meanwhile, an unnamed employee from DPT Asset Management has Jossed the rumors that the company is bankrupt. "Lagos is currently on vacation. DPT is not bankrupt!" said the employee on his Twitter account. Again there is no confirmation from DPTAM at the moment.

Tropico spying on another team?
Sponsors pull out as mediocre results affects reputation
A rumor has been flying from the team as Tropico Grand Prix was accused by an unidentified team for espionage. The espionage largely centred about other teams' set-up and parts. An unidentified and unconfirmable source, however, suggested that Alasdair Lindsay, of Scuderia Alitalia, has thrown the espionage accusation. When we try to contact Tropico GP, the team cannot confirm the issue. Scuderia Alitalia also cannot be contacted at this moment the news was written. We do receiver another news, this time suggesting that there are some sponsors from the team that will pull out from Tropico for 2015, largely citing performance reasons, given that the team never pre-qualified up to this moment. Again this is also cannot be confirmed.

Shinobu Katayama glassed?
Glasser apparently 'jealous' of her victory in Macau
A unconfirmed report has suggested that Shinobu Katayama, the driver for Sunshine F1RWRS team - with the team's future in doubt - that she may have been a victim of glassing. The glasser, who cannot be identified, is said to be 'jealous of her victory in this year's Macau Grand Prix'. The glassing apparently occured hours after the Macau GP race. When we tried to contact her however, she cannot answer the issue at the moment.

Daniel Melrose to move to F1RMGP?
Rumored to withdraw from Japanese GP
Our insider has suggested that, with Daniel Melrose's options being increasingly limited, he may go to F1RMGP for 2015. Melrose, who recently voided his contract with Castrol Jones Racing, has been linked with several F1RMGP teams, notably F1RM, FIRST, Forti, and SPAM. His nationality and his success in F1RWRS are cited as of the reasons why F1RMGP are increasingly interested with him. None of the teams can be contacted to confirm these rumors, however another rumors also spread that Melrose may quit from Jones one race early. He tore up his contract with CJR following his dispute with CJR owner Sammy Jones regarding Melrose's plan for a consultancy firm with new team Autodynamics. Again we cannot confirm this issue.a

Would DPT's disappearance retcon the enduro, however?

All the rumors are inspired by SuperAguri and AndreaModa.

[Klon]

We do receiver another news, this time suggesting that there are some sponsors from the team that will pull out from Tropico for 2015, largely citing performance reasons, given that the team never pre-qualified up to this moment. Again this is also cannot be confirmed.

What sponsors? 1&1 is gone since Von Gottorp has passed away, since Fäkkinen won't be with the team from 2015 onwards Virgin Wines will drop away - leaving only Credit Suisse.

[FMecha]

We do receiver another news, this time suggesting that there are some sponsors from the team that will pull out from Tropico for 2015, largely citing performance reasons, given that the team never pre-qualified up to this moment. Again this is also cannot be confirmed.

What sponsors? 1&1 is gone since Von Gottorp has passed away, since Fäkkinen won't be with the team from 2015 onwards Virgin Wines will drop away - leaving only Credit Suisse.

Schiller has backing from Credit Suisse and he will drive for Mecha next year. That is all

[Salamander]

Davies supports Al Faisal in libel suit
By Not Joe Saward

Following the statement made by Mecha Grand Prix that the team would file a libel lawsuit against Saeed Al Faisal, James Davies has lent his support to his former teammate. The Welshman said, "It's not libel if it's stating the bloody obvious, is it? Mecha should focus on making a car that's not shite, not filing and fighting a lawsuit against someone who has some very valid complaints. This is exactly the sort of thing that has resulted in such a awful car to drive. Mecha is way too focused on everything that's not the car; that's why the car handles like an enraged bloody rhino at the best of times. And not at all at the worst. Which is most of the time. You're worried about your reputation, guys? Make a car that's not shite! That'll do more for you than filing a lawsuit against Saeed ever could!"

Davies is reportedly still under contract at Mecha, though his increasing hostility towards it is fuelling speculation that his ride may be under threat. He went on to state that the car was, 'utter bollocks', 'might as well not even have a steering wheel', and was 'an utter bathplugging abomination'. Given the virility of his attacks against the team, though, I suspect Mecha has bigger things to worry about than drivers, or their reputation.

[AndreaModa]

Jones quashes Melrose early exit rumours and launches scathing attack on Mecha GP

After reports emerged that Daniel Melrose, the Australian former F1 champion who has recently announced his decision to leave Castrol Jones Racing at the end of the year, will in fact quit one race early, Sammy Jones, the team's owner has come out on record to emphatically state that Melrose is going nowhere for the final race of the year in Japan.

"Absolute rubbish" scoffed a disgruntled Jones, "Daniel will race for the team for the remainder of 2014, there are no bad feelings between us, and we will end our partnership together amicably following the race at Fuji. Anyone who thinks otherwise is simply delusional."

In addition to this, Jones has also gone on to heavily criticise the Mecha GP team for it's alleged legal action against former driver Saeed Al Faisal for comments he made to the Japanese press.

"Un-bloody-believable the lot of it. I mean Christ he barely said anything out of line. He's a talented driver that has been frustrated with a poor car this year. It's no secret that he was one of a number of drivers I was considering hiring for 2014 before Melrose put pen to paper. I think he will have a great 2015 at ArrowTech. The Mecha boys need to learn to take a bit of flak, especially if they fancy competing with the real teams in the actual races. They clearly can't take this sort of stick, despite giving it out left, right and centre earlier this year - I mean you only have to look at the drivers they're going through - Davies is walking out after the abuse they've given him, Faisal was kicked out despite being a top driver, I'm surprised Mackintosh hasn't had enough yet too. I can't quite see where they're going to find the money from to fund this legal action either, maybe they've saved it up after spending bugger all on what is clearly a crap car. Maybe they should move into legal work or try their luck as solicitors, they seem to be focused more on that than actually competing in the F1RWRS."

[FMecha]

Mecha Grand Prix has said that it WILL NOT DROP THEIR LIBEL CASE AGAINST AL FAISAL.

(And who will play the judge? )

[DemocalypseNow]

Tropico smear rumours "rubbish" says Lindsay

After being accused by racing publication J.O.U.R.N.A.L. of spreading rumours of espionage by Tropico Grand Prix, Scuderia Alitalia team principal Alasdair Lindsay has launched a scathing attack on the paper, claiming their accusations to be "baseless" and "utter rubbish".

"Well, it's a complete joke these kind of stories are allowed to be published," he said. "This is a pathetic attempt at a false news story. Everyone in the paddock knows if I am going to make an accusation, I will make it to the person's face, directly, no spreading rumours like a little girl. And what I can tell you is, the only conversation I have had with the German Council recently was a positive one. Maybe sometimes we can have our differences but our relationship is a mostly positive one."

He went on to refute any suggestions he was looking to kick up a storm for the benefit of his own team.

"Rubbish. Certain other people in this sport keep trying to drag down the team because they have an agenda against myself, but I am trying my best to make sure any problems that arise from this are as seperated from the racing team as far as possible. I will not be discussing the details with the press, only the people concerned with this. As much as I wish every problem could be resolved peacefully, some people just refuse to play that way. It's unfortunate, really."

The good news for Scuderia Alitalia in the short term at least is the return of Dave Simpson in place of Darren Older Jr, who is sure to give them a boost in the quest to escape pre-qualifying. Lindsay said the one-off deal was proof there were "no hard feelings" about the pair's previous parting eariler in the season.

[FMecha]

^Hey, it should be noted that the people of J.O.U.R.N.A.L are muppets, sometimes

And on which side you will go in the libel lawsuit - Mecha or Al-Faisal?

[DemocalypseNow]

^Hey, it should be noted that the people of J.O.U.R.N.A.L are muppets, sometimes

And on which side you will go in the libel lawsuit - Mecha or Al-Faisal?

Scuderia Alitalia doesn't give a toss about your frivilous lawsuit and will be steering well clear of anything to do with it.

[AdrianSutil]

^Hey, it should be noted that the people of J.O.U.R.N.A.L are muppets, sometimes

And on which side you will go in the libel lawsuit - Mecha or Al-Faisal?

Scuderia Alitalia doesn't give a toss about your frivilous lawsuit and will be steering well clear of anything to do with it.

Scuderia Alitalia to NOT get involved with a political dispute within RWRS?

[Warren Hughes]

^Hey, it should be noted that the people of J.O.U.R.N.A.L are muppets, sometimes

And on which side you will go in the libel lawsuit - Mecha or Al-Faisal?

Scuderia Alitalia doesn't give a toss about your frivilous lawsuit and will be steering well clear of anything to do with it.

Just because for once it's not your frivolous lawsuit

[DemocalypseNow]

Scuderia Alitalia hire an unusual young driver coach...

At the personal request of Il Barone Rampante CEO Alasdair Lindsay, a new member of staff has joined the Scuderia Alitalia Giovanile Squadra to coach prodigious youngsters from Italy and abroad. Such an addition is not usually newsworthy, but Lindsay has once again surprised everyone with his left field approach to running a team. This newest addition has no racing experience whatsoever, he has never even sat in a racing car before. The 41 year old, from Buenos Aires in Argentina, is best known here by his nickname Il Capitano...

Javier Adelmar Zanetti is a name repsected more than almost any other in Milano. The retired footballer holds the record of most Serie A apperances ever, and naturally is also the holder of most apperances for his long time club Internazionale. There, he was captain for 15 years, from 1999 all the way to his retirement at the end of last season, at 40 years of age. He was a rare example of a football player - it was impossible to find someone who could speak a bad word of him. No player had ever been more professional, dedicated and passionate as Il Capitano, and even the notoriously hard to get along with coach Jose Mourinho; "All I will say is thank you for everything, thank you for giving me a small space in your story."

Regardless of his reputation as a footballer, what is he doing at a racing team? What can he possibly offer Scuderia Alitalia's crop of young drivers that a traditional driving coach cannot? Lindsay himself explains the thinking behind this unusual choice.

"I have learned something over the years; wisdom does not come naturally with age. Javier showed me that," he says, with a slight crack in his voice. "As an investor in the club [Inter Milan], I would spend as much time as I had free at Appiano Gentile. Javier was always an approachable guy, and in every training session, he would gather the young guys round and give them some wise words. Even I myself learned from those words. And I was over twice the age of the guys he was talking to."

"Zanetti is part of the Scuderia Alitalia family now because his abilities transcend football. He is a professional sportsman, and the lessons and experience he has gained from his playing career of over two decades can be translated into other sporting environments. He is a man used to pressure, 80000 fans in the San Siro expecting a match winning performance from him, captaining his side to a Champions League trophy, he has been under immense pressure yet always remained calm and controlled. A skill like this in a racing driver can be the difference between winning and losing."

However, he says the young drivers will gain more than just that from his time with them.

"Javier is more than just a sporting role model. He is a role model to humanity as a whole. Everyone involved in the Giovanile Squadra will gain immense knowledge and life experience from having him as a coach. With him on our side, I think the stereotype that Italian racing drivers are stropy, emotional and reckless will be gone forever I hope together we will shape a new generation of Italian racing drivers, a generation that will go on to have as much success in motorsport as Il Capitano had in football."

Javier Zanetti managed 863 apperances in his long Inter Milan career. Scuderia Alitalia doing the same in motorsport is rather unlikely, but their novel staffing strategy might just earn them some of the level of success Il Capitano managed over all those years.

[AndreaModa]

One too many trips down to the Bargain Booze eh Lindsay?

[DemocalypseNow]

One too many trips down to the Bargain Booze eh Lindsay?

Excuse me son? What exactly are you insinuating with that comment?

[Klon]

Reason why Alitalia won't ever build up a future world champion #3,821: entrusting your drivers with idiots only famous for kicking a ball.

[AndreaModa]

I'll be blunt. You're a delusional pisshead. Stop dreaming sunshine.

[the Masked Lapwing]

HRT announce re-signing of Whitechapel
As part of the restructuring of the Holden Racing and Garry Rogers Motorsport teams for 2015, HRT announced shortly before the Japanese GP that Poppy Whitechapel will be kept through the merger of the two teams and drive for the team next season. "Poppy had proven herself to be a very good driver," said HRT team principal Mark Skaife. "She has been very unlucky with reliability, but for next season we plan on returning to the reliability over pace path that delivered us several good results in 2013." With this announcement, HRT will now use the same lineup as GRM did this season, with Frank Zimmer driving the other car.

[DemocalypseNow]

Lon, Jones, both of you should hang your heads in shame, showing such little class like that. This is exactly why neither of you will have such a good reputation than he does. You've dropped lower than the standard of a Milanista or Rubentino, which is a bar already set extremely low. Even Inter's sworn enemies have respect for him. But all you can do is come out with insulting statements? It is a shame you are committing suicide with your reputations like that. No-one in Italy or Argentina will take either of you seriously ever again. You are just digging yourself a bigger hole. Who is your next target? Eddy Merckx? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Roger Federer? Any more sporting legends you'd like to foolishly try to piss on? I can't believe I have to share a sport with you disrespectful idiots.